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In 1961 Jane Jacobs wrote a book called The Death and Life of Great American Cities. I know many of you have read her work and already know just how revolutionary her ideas were. But I want to point out something that comes to mind when reading her work that I believe we may have a shot at getting right this time around. Sacramento has had a rocky history as it worked its way along the path towards becoming a great city even still some still think its best asset is that we can offer a cheap mediocre lifestyle. I however believe that we bring far more to the table as a city and that we are right where we should be today.
The next 10 years have the potential to be the best in our cities history. We are at a crossroads poised and ready to make the leap into a beautiful, powerful, livable, urban, utopia of a community. Yeah we have had our share of the real estate market blues but you know what I think we may have timed it just right. Where cities like San Diego have big empty condo buildings to show for the downturn we only have a few empty lots and even a hand full of successful projects that did make it through. Yeah some of them had to lower their prices but many of them still came through with good neighborhood beautifying architecture and we are better off because of them.
But it’s not where we have been that gives me goosebumps…it’s where we are going. Take a city such as ours with its grid streets, perfect climate, and stable (when Arnold isn’t paying minimum wage) employment base and add a time in history like the one we are about to embark on (think internet, alternative energy, enlightened urban planning), and you have the perfect storm for Sacramento to make its mark as a truly great American city.
Its not despite the failures we have endured but precisely because of them that we will become what we are destined to be.
Levi
4 responses so far ↓
1 wburg // Aug 13, 2008 at 3:40 pm
One of the side effects of the downturn has been an explosion of culture in otherwise doomed buildings. One of the lots where a transit-oriented project is planned on 19th and X/Broadway is home to a place called VOX Gallery. They exist because a church that had leased the building closed down, and because the building was slated for demolition the owner couldn’t secure a new long-term tenant. So some friends of the owner started an arts/music collective and put on some of the most cutting-edge events in the city, in addition to renting it out for educational seminars and other local groups.
End result is straight out of Jacobs’ chapter on the value of old buildings (obviously a fave of mine): out of such buildings, city culture grows. The main hope, though, is that the culture thus produced can find a permanent home when the next boom arises and the axe finally falls on the doomed building.
In some cases, the culture and the building might be valuable enough to fix up and integrate into the milieu of a new development.
2 levi // Aug 13, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I love VOX, I am so glad that you brought them up. A very determined group of people who get community and are going to do great things. We need more people like them in Sacramento.
3 William Burg // Aug 13, 2008 at 6:18 pm
…or in West Sacramento?
4 cindy // Aug 17, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Wow Guys! Thanks for the Vox talk!
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