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April 18, 2008

The next gen of Central Parks are on their way

Not only are urban dwellers in select cities across the country about to enjoy their own Central Park, but ones that are even larger than New York's 843-acre treasure, as reported in USA Today:

Staten Island, New York (pictured) - 2200 acres on what is currently the Fresh Kills landfill. You can't ask for a better transformation than that, though let's hope they don't call it Fresh Kills Park. However, think of all the jokes...

Memphis, TN - Shelby Farms Park is being planned on a 4500-acre former prison farm.

Atlanta - The Beltline will connect 1400 acres on 13 sites by walking trails, trolleys and existing parkland.

Orange County, CA - Orange County Great Park will be located on 1347 acres of a former military air base, plus another 1000-acre wilderness area.

Birmingham, AL - Red Mountain Park is a 1100-acre tract atop Red Mountain generously sold to a land trust by U.S. Steel for $7 million. It's valued at more than $16 million.

What's amazing about this trend is that most of the country's large urban parks were created in the 19th or early 20th century when land was much less scarce. The reasons?

- Our present environmental concerns and the rising green movement;
- The revitalizing impact of park-side real estate;
- Health-conscious people moving back to cities;
- Vacant industrial land from our industrial to information economy shift.

Looking forward to profiling these parks as they come to fruition.

Thanks to Erin Caricofe for the reference!

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April 17, 2008

Creative lessons from a green greenfield village

Readers of this website know we don't normally cover greenfield developments, that is, new communities built in the middle of wilderness or farm land. Some may see even eco-village versions of such communities on par with ads like this.

However, just as Starbucks helped spawn the next generation of local indie coffeehouse third places as we know and love today - and perhaps even coworking sites, sometimes there are valuable lessons in creativity, innovation and community to be learned from the unlikeliest of places.

For instance, take Serenbe, Georgia, pictured here and also in the previous entry. Yes, it's built in the middle of nowhere and most everyone has to commute for miles, but notice how urban it is in the top photo (and check out those neat street lamps again), and how compact the development is in the second photo, vs. say, strip mall suburbia.

However, one of the coolest aspects of Serenbe is how its three neighborhoods focus on scenes, and not your typical rural themes like antiques or B&B tourism. Cities take note, there is much here that can be applied to an urban iteration.

Selborne: An arts scene - performing, visual and culinary, from those famous artist-crafted street lamps, to the same for its benches, trash cans and bike racks, and its contemporary architecture which rivals major metropolises.

Mado: A health and wellness scene. Mado means 'things in balance', and its signature venues will be a vegetarian restaurant, juice bar, destination spa and holistic medical services.

Grange: A sustainable farming scene, sited next to an organic farm and featuring more traditional rustic homes.

Serenbe also has an overall green theme, including every one its homes being EarthCraft green certified, Greater Atlanta's version of eco-building standards.

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April 16, 2008

Check out those street lamps!

The street lamps in the photo above (yes, that's a photo) were crafted by an artist especially for this neighborhood. Yes, they're just light fixtures, but on the other hand, when was the last time:

a. you've seen light fixtures that looked like that at all? Tim Burton movies don't count.
b. you've seen street lamps created exclusively for a neighborhood?
c. you've seen this Metropolitain sign? Chances are you have. They have the same story of originality and authenticity, and are associated with only one city in the world, Paris. Not bad for a simple, modest sign don't you think?

This speaks to the power of establishing your own local identity via how many good stories you can tell about what makes your neighborhood one-of-a-kind special. These stories have an even greater impact of progressiveness if it's something as mundane as an outdoor light fixture, which by the way are located in the Selbourne neighborhood of Serenbe, Georgia.

In addition, the street lamps aren't an isolated thought or happy accident, but a deliberate manifestation of the neighborhood's profoundly embraced art scene - more on that tomorrow. Sure, happy accidents are ideal, but you can't count on them, and as they say, "luck happens when preparedness meets opportunity".

Thanks to Erin Caricofe for the reference to Serenbe! Btw, if you watch the video featured on her January '08 blog entry you'll never think about 'stuff' the same way again.

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April 15, 2008

Attract more creatives with 'anchored coworking'

Creatives, free agents, entrepreneurs and mobile knowledge workers may be driving the economy, but they aren't going to be driving to work. They prefer avoiding isolation at home, but there are only so many coffeehouses, and even fewer coworking sites.

One growing source of spontaneous workplaces are anchored coworking sites - coworking sites provided by established companies who not only have extra space, but enjoy reserving it for untethered creatives. PSFK: Trends and Inspiration profiles several such examples in their recent article, A Deeper Look at Coworking.

What're the benefits of anchored coworking sites?
- For once, it doesn't take much additional investment or planning because the anchoring firm has already done so for itself (ie general lease, network printer, internet, phones, etc.)
- Second, the anchor company is often open to collaborating with its itinerant tenants, and thus will choose those with like-minded interests - a win-win proposition.
- Third, it's a heckuva lot faster, easier and much less risky with a more ubiquitous supply when you're talking about companies with extra desks vs starting completely from scratch.

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