Seeds of Community

Ok, for the last 20 years lots of successful places have brought people together for shopping, eating and entertainment. This social energy can create a sense of place, but in places with less income, it has its limits. At the same time, without high income levels, developers might not want to risk investing in a place that has nothing going on. At the same time, cities in the inner ring might be able to raise some cash in an attempt to get someting going, but what should they do with it? One strategy is to buy up some property, maybe combine a few parcels with different owners and then offer developers land on the cheap as an incentive to take the risk. I think a different direction needs to be considered.

The public can try to create something that brings people together without the requirement that they spend a bunch of cash. That in itself might create enough demand for other options that retail, restaurants, and entertainment might start up in the area giving even more people reason to join the fun. The trick is to create a virtuous cycle.

Small parks set up for social events, fountains kids can play in, an area available for a farmers market, a classic car show, live music, etc. would be a great idea, so long as it is centrally located in such a place where other privately funded development could sprout up. A library would be a wonderful addition. They almost guarantee a flow of people in and out of the area. What else?

The Appleseed Project (www.theappleseedproject.com) is another element that could be really useful. Appleseed is essentially a place where small business types can go once they have outgrown the dining room table, but cannot afford a traditional office. They provide all the essential business resources from desks and messages to conference rooms which can all be rented as needed (more of less). On top of that, they design these facilities with storage for anything a small business might need to store and even several storefronts for retailers and restaurants to open up shop. What is key (to me) to this concept is that 300-400 people might be using an Appleseed facility each week. That brings in traffic and social energy needed to strengthen the sense of place that I think is key to building community and rethinking our inner-ring suburbs.