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March 11, 2005
On "The View" - The 5 hottest areas in the nation
ABC's The View featured the top five up-and-coming areas in the country, according to Barbara Corcoran, founder of the Corcoran Group, a large New York real estate firm. Her list:
Albuquerque's EDO, short for East Downtown - "An Urban Revolution" (a model for small city revitalization)
Downtown Detroit "A City Reborn" (still getting there)
Del Ray, Virginia - "Where Main Street Still Exists" (already an established neighborhood)
The Red Hook section of Brooklyn "A Red Hot Revolution" (a haven for entrepreneurs and creatives, though gentrifying fast)
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - "The Playground of the Northwest" (though not a CoolTown)
Also check out her How to Spot on Up-and-Coming Area Before the Whole Town Knows 24-step checklist. Of course, #1 is follow the creative types, though her description associates creatives with a certain demographic perhaps a bit too strong for many. The first 5 are CoolTown guidelines, but the ones after that mainly relate to deal-making, especially #6 (not recommended if you don't like it).
What do you know about these areas? Please comment below...
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
March 10, 2005
A strong brand identity helps prevent brain damage
The merchants that make up thriving arts & entertainment/nightlife districts should get kudos and cheers for helping revitalize economically suffering neighborhoods. However, if they don't collaborate as a community, they may be in for some serious hate mail, lawsuits and stress from angry residents (collectively known as brain damage).
Here's one major reason why - as the desirability of neighborhoods go up because of the revitalization that entertainment brings, new homebuyers often don't realize that with successful entertainment not only comes with music and crowds, but an ever-increasing amount of it. However, if the neighborhood is unsafe and economically disadvantaged - this brings badly needed new life, jobs and revenue. So, the new residents begin to bite the hand that fed them.
The solution - Brand the district clearly as an arts & entertainment district, or as Austin, TX does, as the Live Music Capital of the World. Make it clear that live music and crowds is the norm, and you'll actually start to attract the people who thrive in that rather than (which happens to include job-creating entrepreneurs) those who subsequently try to outlaw it. Otherwise, it's like dealing with people moving to Bourbon Street, New Orleans then trying to ban live music.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
March 9, 2005
Reader experience: A third place street
Youngbin Park at Cornell University provides this response to Monday's blog on our ongoing reader request for what they think is cool - Ithaca Commons, a downtown pedestrian mall that is experiencing a recent revival of vitality after years of neglect:
"It's similar to a square, but full of independently-owned stores, restauarants, and bars. During the summer time, the Commons host concerts on a weekly basis. The layout of the Common's is very
nice with plenty of benches, trees, chess tables, and a playground. In the center of the Commons lies Center Ithaca, a mixed-use development with apartments, retail, and a small movie theater in the basement." Youngbin Park, Cornell University
It may be time for the return of the pedestrian street.
Please let us know what you think is cool!
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
March 8, 2005
Reader experience: A third place supermarket
Thanks to Annie Lux at UNC in response to yesterday's blog on our ongoing reader request for cool places, here's a look at how to turn a supermarket into a third place:
"I did a "what's cool in Carrboro, NC" project for an environmental design/behavior class. The winner was a food co-op/take-out restaurant called Weaver Street Market and is one of the most amazing community gathering places I've seen. It's got a huge lawn, fountain, plenty of outdoor seating and free town-provided wireless internet (a cool town MUST for creative workers). They also have live music on the lawn on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings. It's a true public space, on private property." Annie Forbes Lux, Masters Candidate 2006, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Check out what makes co-ops like Weaver Street Market great for the local community here.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
March 7, 2005
Call for CoolTown innovations...
A little over a year and a half ago I explained in this blog entry what a CoolTown really is - it's the collective answer of the local area's most innovative, entrepreneurial, active people to the question: "So, what kind of town do you think is cool?"
It's time to hear from you all out there, or at least some of the 5000 regular/repeat visitors from last month. For this site to work and really help make a difference to build the kinds of communities you know you want, but don't see locally, you need to, well, let us know. Please email me (link on right) images (ideal!), articles or mentions (click on comment below) of specific city/town neighborhoods/streets/venues you've been to that you feel should be covered here.
This will make a direct difference. Remember, we're responsible for identifying progressive urban infill/rehab projects for investment of $2-$5 million at a time. Click here for more details.
Posted by Neil | Link to Article
