Urban Renewal

Downtown Birmingham is a decent size urban setting, and thankfully, we've recently been seeing some renewal. This is a picture of Park Place in Downtown. This is a mixed-income, partially subsidized apartment community. It is a pretty large complex to be in an urban area, and their waiting list has been full for a couple of years. They also have an urban garden right across the street. The Jones Valley Urban Farm- Gardens of Park Place, is an urban farm located downtown where they have a farmers market and residents of Park Place can come and plant a plot and grow healthy, hearty food for themselves and their neighbors. There is also a good amount of age diversity in Park Place. There's everything from infants to elderly, children, teens, young adults, and married couples. Last, there are also many engagements between market rate renters and low income renters at Park Place due to the vast diversity in incomes between neighbors. All of these components help to provide some urban renewal to Birmingham's downtown.

Comparing New Urbanist Communities

In comparing Park Place to Crestline, there are only a few components to compare because these two places are so different. Park Place is in an urban area in comparison to Crestline which is more of a suburban area. Both have new urbanist designs but in different aspects. To me, Park Place is more of a neighborhood than a community. It has the community feel to it, but not all the community components. Park Place is a mixed-income partially subsidized apartment neighborhood in an urban setting. It has no civic buildings, and no retail. Crestline is a community with a City Hall, Fire Department, Police Department, public library, and main street retail. Neither of the two, Park Place or Crestline, are ethnically diverse. Crestline is not very economically diverse either. Essentially, Park Place is an urban Apartment complex designed from New Urbanist principles. Crestline is a suburban community mostly made up of single family homes but also includes a "city center" with retail and civic buildings. Both have New Urbanist principles implemented, but are still two very different places.

Green Initiatives

Green Initiatives are becoming more and more common in our community, state, nation, and world. There are great examples all over the Birmingham Metro-Area. Jeremy Erdreich, a local architect, has Green in mind with every job he takes on. He's responsible for the renewal of the 2nd Avenue area. This photograph shows a portion of 2nd Avenue with a number of different places in this building. To the far right is Erdreich Architects. The store with the tree in front is Faith Skate Supply, a supply center for skaters and skateboarders. The door/window front in the very middle of the picture is actually Jeremy Erdreich's home. He built an apartment within this former commercial space. He used the existing building and also used recycled materials to create his home. As you walk past his window front it appears as though this space is a art gallery or something of that sort. Jeremy also built his parents a home on 2nd Avenue, which I believe has the first "green roof" downtown. Their roof has a garden on it which helps to reduce heating and cooling costs, create fresh air, and provides a destination for storm water. Downtown also has the Max and Dart buses which technically are Green Initiatives to get more cars off the road and to lower emissions. But I think this is where we are falling short. Once we get the transportation situation in Birmingham figured out, we'll be very Green.

2nd Avenue's Third Places

Downtown, in the Second Avenue and Park Place area, there are a number of Third Places for people to interact with their neighbors. This photograph shows one for example, the YMCA. This is a place for children and young teens to learn and play with each other. It is less than a full block from the majority of the Park Place residences and there is also a baseball field and basketball court directly across the street from the facility. Also directly across the street from the YMCA is the Jones Valley Urban Farm- Gardens of Park Place. This urban garden has a number of plots that belong to residents of Park Place and is a great place for neighbors to interact with each other. Second Avenue has a number of Third Places as well. Faith Skate Supply is located next door to Erdreich Architects. Faith is a place for the skater crowd to have something of a hub downtown, a kind of headquarters. Going down the block there's a few more. Urban Standard is four doors down from Erdreich Architects. Urban Standard is a coffee shop and bakery, and a great place for nearby residents to come and get a cup of coffee, enjoy a book or newspaper and hopefully make some new friends. Just past Urban Standard, you'll find a German bar/club and Rogue Tavern, which is a restaurant and bar. These are a few of the Third Places we passed on our Park Place/2nd Avenue adventure.

12.4 Apartment Houses

There are not very many apartments available within Mountain Brook, but the few that are, are located in appropriate places. We all know Mountain Brook isn't much of a mixed income community, but that doesn't mean only extremely wealthy people live there. The few apartment houses that do exist, are situated close to the three Villages of Mountain Brook. Crestline, Mountain Brook, and English Village. These are residential buildings that are not single family dwellings, but fit in with the surrounding single family homes. They do not stand out as being different. Also, these apartment houses are located just outside of the villages, with on street parking and side parking. Not massive parking lots like at apartment complexes. Apartment houses are a great way to ensure diversity in the community.

14.9 Civic Buildings

Shown in the photograph here, and located in Crestline Village, the Emmet O'neal Library is the Mountain Brook Community Library. The architecture is beautifully designed along with the surrounding landscape. The library is located just off of the "main drag" in Crestline Village, nestled in with the other civic buildings. It's right next to the Mountain Brook City Hall, the Mountain Brook Police Department, and the Mountain Brook Fire Department. The design of the building helps separate the Library from the other buildings nearby. It appears as an intellectual/educated place used for gaining knowledge and information. The building is larger than the surrounding structures but it fits in quite well due to the design features. Large trees, on-street parking and backside parking, and a very attractive streetscape. Emmet O'neal Library is possibly the nicest and most well designed building in all of Crestline Village.

13.9 Yard Trees

Trees are one component of communities, that, if left standing help to show the age of the community at hand. Not only that, they also help reduce heating and cooling expenses, along with raising property values. Mountain Brook is completely covered with old growth trees and I think that it adds to the character of the community as a whole. Driving through the winding hills of Mountain Brook, one will repeatedly see some of the best scenery in and around Birmingham. Oaks, dogwoods, cedars, pines... We've got 'em all. My favorite thing about the trees shown here, in front of Mountain Brook City Hall, is how much older they are than our community. Possibly up to one hundred years older than Mountain Brook itself. Which is one of the oldest suburbs of Birmingham. These trees provide a beautiful and comfortable place to sit and relax in the village. There are four or five benches around a fountain and an over sized chess board in between these two massive city hall trees.

8.12 Rear Alleys & Lanes

Many of the homes near Crestline Village have alleys and lanes on the backside. These alleys and lanes serve a number of different purposes. One, puts homeowners parking off of the street in backside garages and driveways. This opens up and allows more on street parking in the neighborhood itself. Also, rear alleys provide a place for children to play. In this one block of alley shown in the photograph, 75% of the homes had basketball goals and or other children's toys/recreational activities visible in and around their parking areas. Plus, alleys provide a place to put blighting household components. Namely, trash cans and a/c units and so on and so forth. This particular alley runs from the center of Crestline Village for about eight or nine blocks through a neighborhood.

8.5 On-Street Parking

One of the best aspects of Crestline Village is the accessible parking available to consumers. It's always pretty busy in the Village, but finding a parking spot is usually a non issue. And if you don't happen to get a spot directly in front of where you're going, the farthest/longest you'd have to walk is two or three blocks. Less than five minutes. The Village center, where most of the retail is located, is lined on both sides with angled parking. This provides for a very pedestrian friendly area. There is also an underground parking lot below a few of the businesses located in this area. This is where employees of village businesses park so that their vehicles aren't sitting in a visible parking lot all day. Plus, this parking lot is located on the backside of the Village, where it is less of an eye soar. Parking in Crestline Village is easy and very close to anywhere in the village you'd like to go.

8.2 Design Speed

Crestline Village is bustling from early morning on into dinnertime. High volumes of traffic daily make the task of providing a pedestrian friendly "main street" a little more challenging. It is achieved through a couple of simple design features/principles. First, posting a lower MPH speed limit generally keeps traffic to a slower speed. Plus it helps that the Mountain Brook Police Department is located right in the middle of the Village. Who would knowingly speed through a high pedestrian and traffic volume area, that houses the MBPD? Secondly, the entire village and surrounding neighborhoods have street parking. The Village has angled parking, making the lanes smaller throughout. The surrounding neighborhoods have on street parking which helps keep travel speeds lower and promotes front yard activities for children and adults alike. Third, there is a specifically placed crosswalk right in the middle of the Village that gives the right of way to the pedestrian, no the automobile. There is no intersection in this location. No traffic light, just a side street and an alley on one side and the other. These three design aspects drastically improve the safety of pedestrians in Crestline Village and the surrounding residential area.

5.7 Neighborhood Schools

Crestline Elementary is located at the Southeastern end of Crestline Village. It is one of four elementary schools within Mountain Brook, and is the largest. A large number of the students at Crestline could walk to school. Whether they do or not is a different story all together. For kindergarten to second grade, I lived next door to the school, literally. But I really grew up a half mile away from the Village. My brother and I had to either walk or ride our bikes to school. The only time our parents drove us was if it was 30 degrees outside or raining. Crestline Elementary provides after school daycare and is a great place for neighborhood children to play after school. There is a large playground, a couple of tennis courts, a couple of basketball goals, and two full size football/soccer fields. It's like mecca for children. The best things about Crestline Elementary are that it's in a neighborhood and also in a "city center."

5.4 Retail Distribution

The shops and stores on Church Street in Crestline Village are the epitomy of "Main Street Retail." Shops and restaurants line both sides of Church Street with a variety of interests. There is also angled street parking lining both sides. Crestline Village is within walking distance of a number of households, a few hundred or so. Yet the vast majority of patrons to these businesses rely on the automobile to get them there. Granted many stop-n-shop on there way to and from their homes. Anyway... All the stores have open fronts so that you can see whats available inside. Also, Church Street is a low speed thoroughfare making it easy for pedestrians to get from one side to the other. There is an elementary school basically in the Village as well, allowing for many children to go to Gus's Hot Dogs after school, or to Laura Kathryn (a girl's clothing store FYI), or to Mountain Brook Sporting Goods. This factor also helps achieve that low speed, pedestrian safe area. There are only a couple of businesses in the Village that are chains. Having a low number of chain retail businesses helps achieve the "Main Street" vibe that so many love.

6.3 Pocket Parks

The Mountain Brook Tot-Lot is located on one edge of Crestline Village, basically in the "city center." Even though we don't really have one. Anyway the tot-lot is a playground for the younger children and a great place for young parents to socialize while their children play. It's mulch for the "floor," I guess you would say, and there's swings and jungle gyms and what have you. There are also a couple of benches and picnic tables. The picnic tables are located in a decent sized open gazebo. Two sides of the park are surrounded by households, and the other two by Crestline Village and Crestline Elementary. So, not only do you have children from nearby homes coming and playing in the tot-lot, but also kids from Crestline Elementary who can walk there after school. Did I mention the distance from the school to the tot-lot is all of about a forty-five second walk. This park has been here for years. I grew up playing in it 25 years ago, and I hope it stays right there for a long time to come.

Railroad Park: Sociability

One of my favorite components of our new green space downtown is shown in this photograph. This is the Bowl of Birches, located on the South end of the park, and it really caught my attention. I found this patch of Birches to be one of the single most individual aspects of the park. For me, this is an ideal place to meet friends or family for an afternoon in the park. The bowl is so specific in itself, it sets itself apart as a perfect meeting area. When I go down to the park, and am meeting people there; I'm going to tell them "to meet me at the Bowl of Birches." I find the park to be a great place to meet up with out of town friends and family, and it gives us an opportunity to show it off. Make it known that we are implementing positive changes in our community for the better of everyone. Whether you're meeting up with friends for drinks, meeting up with a blind date, going with your children or grandparent for a picnic or walk in the park, this new aspect of our city is going to be great for everything social.

Railroad Park: Comfort & Image

I got a great first impression of the Railroad Park during our tour from the director this past Tuesday. There were a number of different plants; all of which looked great and seemed to fit in with our natural flora. My eyes kept being drawn towards the stream and the lush open grass. In the photo, the "field" is in the back right. All the landscaping, to me, was chosen and placed very tastefully and intelligently. Specifically chosen to make this new green space as comfortable and beautiful as possible. Not to mention all the stonework on the stream and lake banks looks fantastic. It comes off as being very inviting and attractive to the eye. I thought there was somewhat of a choice for people when it came to the seating situation. There are not benches everywhere you turn, but there are a variety of different locations within the park to take a load off. There are personnel on site if there ever were to be some sort of problem. I found the park to be a comfortably and beautifully designed commons.

Railroad Park: Uses & Activities

Birmingham's new Railroad Park, located in between the North and South sides of downtown, is going to be one of the best new elements of our community, in my opinion. The design is perfect to allow a large number of people to use this wonderful public place for a large number or reasons. I think that the people of Birmingham will embrace the Railroad Park partially due to its numerous uses and activities. For example, here is one of a set of playgrounds for the youngsters. It's brand new and I'm sure any child of younger age would love to play here. So, with the children playing, we would assume the parents are watching nearby. But hopefully they're also conversing/interacting with the other parents. That is a great way for new adult friendships to be made. Two strangers children become best friends causing the adults to interact with each other. There are many other uses of our new park as well. There will be an amphitheater, a walking path on the perimeter, two lakes with interconnecting streams, large open grass areas, a variety of beautiful plants, and many different places to sit and soak it all in. Our new park is going to be a great place for our city and is going to be something for the people of Birmingham to be proud of.

13.9 Yard Trees

I personally am a huge fan of nature and being in the outdoors, and I think that definitely influenced my trip to Mt. Laurel in a positive way. Respect should always be shown to our environment and the designers here had that in mind while planning this community. These homes were toward the back of the neighborhood, farther from the village area, on the larger lots. Most of the old growth trees are still standing, and it's due to their positive influence on life in general. Old growth trees increase property value, provide shade, decrease heating and cooling costs, and certainly don't deserve to be chopped down so that a monstrosity of a house can stand in its place. These beautiful plants are hundreds of years old and are a huge benefit to have. I was very pleased with the designers abilities to leave as many large trees standing will still putting homes on lots.

14.2 Consistency of Appearance

I really enjoyed walking around the "city center" at Mt. Laurel. Architecturally, the buildings looked great and were made to fit in with the natural surroundings, and it was done very well. From the office space in the foreground to the Grocery Store and General Store in the background, all were designed tastefully with the intent of creating diversity. Personally, I do not feel that this will provide diversity, because deep down I feel that this is an upper class community. But that's neither here nor there. The consistent appearance of the buildings in the village area really help you feel like you are somewhere particular and somewhere individual. Not in some CVS filled or Wal-Mart centered suburb.

12.4 Apartment Houses

The majority of the housing in Mt. Laurel are single family homes, but they also do have some apartments. These apartments are setup as Apartment houses. This photograph shows two such houses within Mt. Laurel. Actually, on one side of the park I showed previously under the heading Preserving Trees is where these are located. The style of the buildings are complimentary to the surrounding homes. Hopefully, causing these two buildings not to stand out as being different, which I think they've done pretty well. This also promotes people of different income levels living next door to each other. There is on street parking and the park directly across the street, which increases the chances of different income individuals interacting with each other by choice. This is a positive design with positive effects.

9.2 Street Trees

The number of trees in our area is remarkable enough as it is. Mt. Laurel designers took that natural component and made it a very noticeable and important aspect of their community. The entirety of Mt. Laurel is covered in trees and they do everything they can to use the trees as they are and implement them into their design. This photo shows just how large of a role trees play here. You can see our class walking down the sidewalk which is overloaded with trees. These trees provide a little bit of a natural barrier between the street and the homes. They help drastically reduce the heat and provide for beautiful Alabama scenery. What I loved most about this was that the sidewalk wound through the trees. Trees were not cut so that the sidewalk could be flat and straight. The sidewalk was designed to accent the natural beauty it goes through. I think the designers hit a home run with this small part of the overall community.

8.13 Passages & Paths

This photograph is of a path, that is communal and public, that flows between homes. For quite some distance I might add. In one direction it leads to the Village, and in the other to the communities 10+ acre lake. This shot was taken between two homes and the path continues across the street through the woods to the lake. Particularly, these paths are "natural walking paths" through nature areas. Notice the continuance of the stone pillars which inform us that this path is open and indeed does leed somewhere. This design, like most New Urbanist designs, attempts to promote togetherness between neighbors and community members. I like this design very much. It shortens your walking distance and increases the chances of running into your neighbors.

8.12 Rear Alleys & Lanes

The majority of Mt. Laurel has rear side garages off of alley-ways or on street parking. This picture portrays just that. This design promotes a number of good things. One, the working family members will be arriving home around the same time, and parking in such close vicinity to each others homes increases the chances of neighborly interactions. The trash is also picked up in the alleys, hopefully increasing the probability of neighbor interaction. Even with something as simple as taking out the trash, New Urbanist designs attempt to bring us all closer together as friends. Having the mailboxes on the alleys is for the exact same reasons. Hoping that neighbors will run into each other, and not run away from one another. Also this is a great place for children to play. Where there is not too much traffic. I think this design is of positive intent, but overall it's up to the people themselves to make the purpose of the design succeed.

5.6 Civic Sites

This is a photograph of the Mt. Laurel Fire Department. It was probably my favorite building we saw. It's made all of the same material, natural Alabama stone, which was all harvested from the mountain that Mt. Laurel rests on. Just on the backside of the firehouse is a small green area between two sides of "main street." The Fire Department, being a civic institution, is the centerpiece of the community. It is a building that captivates the eye, and is almost hard to look away from. There is on street parking surrounding this area and with the Fire Department as the centerpiece of the neighborhood, it doubles as a great landmark/meeting place for friends and family. NOt to mention, having the fire station in the center is the best and most logical design for it's intended uses.

5.4 Retail Distribution

This picture was taken right when you pull into the heart of Mt. Laurel. The lefthand side of the photo shows one side of the "main square." In order from near end of the block to far end, we have The General Store, Jimbo's Burgers & Shakes, and The Mt. Laurel Grocery Store. There were tables and benches in front of these establishments, along with flowers and other greenery. They all also had very open store fronts with large bay windows which was very appealing and inviting. Each establishment was made to look as though it's forty years old on the inside. In reality they're about ten years old, tops. But it gives you a great smalltown feeling of connection with the people around you. The benefit of the proximity of the General Store and Grocery Store is huge. To have almost everything you need within walking distance of your home is incredibly convenient, and a major component of New Urbanist ideas. Only time will tell how successful the design of the village will be, but I suspect that the members of this community will support their community.

4.3 Preserving Trees

This photograph was taken of a public neighborhood park withing the Mt. Laurel community. This picture obviously portrays the New Urbanist principle of "Preserving Trees." The stone pillars in the foreground represent the formal entrance to the park. Also notice how wide the sidewalk is at the park entrance. This is to show that this place is public and all are welcome to enjoy. Feel free to take advantage of this great neighborhood amenity. The trees which exist in this space are natural to the habitat and form a great natural park area. This park is surrounded by residences. I think this design is great and promotes children and adult interactions either after school or after work. And these interactions are taking place in a calm and beautiful setting. I would expect this feature to be fully taken advantage of by the residents of this neighborhood. I know I would.

Mt. Laurel

I went out to the New Urbanist community, Mt. Laurel, this afternoon for the first time. Right off the bat I was somewhat impressed with what I saw. The village area was very pleasant and felt like Southern small town main street. There was a General Store, a Diner, and a Grocery Store as one side of the "square." Each business was designed and furnished to appear as though they were from the 1950's or 60's smalltown USA. We walked the neighborhood which I really enjoyed. The design of the neighborhood impressed me, from tree surrounded sidewalks to large wraparound front porches to communal paths between homes. Once we get out of this economic slump/recession, I do believe Mr. Laurel will be successful. Although pricey, the community shows itself as a very desireable place to call home. If I could afford it, and if work was closeby, I would love to live here. I do believe smart community design makes a difference, and we need more communities in our overall area modeled after New Urbanist ideas such as these.

Sprawl, Sprawl, and more Sprawl

Just outside of Birmingham City Limits people can find sprawl just about anywhere they turn. I took this photograph just down the street from where I live. This was taken on Montclair Road looking towards Irondale. The photo doesn't give the view justice, but from here one can see a string of sprawl establishments. Going down the street from here, you'll pass a Milo's, Bojangles, Zazby's, McDonald's, Chik-Fil-A, and a Wal-Mart Supercenter with an "appropriately" attached strip mall. All in a span of less than half of a mile. Five drive-thrus and a corporate retail monster. The surrounding area does have a few apartment complexes and a few residential neighborhoods. Everything in this area depends on the automobile. The neighborhoods have no paved sidewalks, yet this major thoroughfare does. I live within walking distance of these locations, but I have never walked to them due to the hassle of dealing with the innumerous vehicles as a pedestrian. This design promotes relying on your car and avoiding human contact by taking advantage of drive-thru windows. Where it ends, no one knows.

Where the 280 Sprawl Began

This photograph was taken at the top of The Summit, overlooking the lower level of The Summit and the beginning of the Hwy 280 sprawl area. In the picture, the foreground specifically shows the commercial strip aspect of sprawl, which includes automobile dependence. If it wasn't for the automobile, places such as The Summit would cease to exist, at least in our city. This area has a little more walkability than further down Hwy 280, but i wouldn't exactly call it walkable. There is a little bit more grass and trees, but not enough to make a real difference. One thing the Summit does have going for it is the residential area at the very top of the property. Yet, there's a huge drawback if you live here. It's not the most pedestrian friendly area. Sure, you could walk to a restaurant and eat some dinner, but it gets a little tricky if that restaurant is on the low side of the Summit. Crossing a four-lane road isn't exactly easy with the volume of traffic that flows through this place. The residents can't even walk to the grocery store to pick up a few necessities, because the Summit doesn't have a grocery store. It's all materialistic shopping and restaurants. Who knows what will open next.

Local Sprawl

I snapped a photograph on my way home from Mt. Laurel the other day while I was on Hwy 280. This picture was taken at the Hwy 280 and Valleydale Road intersection. This is the view facing Birmingham, and directly to the left is the Inverness Corners shopping center. Directly to the right is a Home Depot. This photograph obviously shows sprawl at its highest level. The dependence on the automobile and the outward extension of development away from our city's center is over evident in this part of Birmingham. There is very little, if any, residential area on this section of road, which promotes individuals using their vehicles. The majority of the land is obviously used for commercial entities. Due to the major lack of residences nearby, walkability is at a minimum. There is an extremely high amount of pavement/concrete, and virtually no communal areas, with the exception of all the parking lots. What little human interaction that does happen here, happens either within these businesses or through vulgar hand gestures between motorists on Hwy 280. One things for sure, I feel lucky that I don't have to deal with this section of road daily.