San Diego Spring Break: Urbanist Gone Wild

This week I am vacationing in sunny San Diego for Spring break from graduate courses at Saint Louis University. But I am never fully on break, yesterday I checked out a number of areas of the region and thought I’d share a few with you.

Above is an on-street motorcycle/scooter parking area in downtown San Diego. So while those on cars must pay $6 to park in the lot behind, those with more reasonable modes of transit were able to park for free. Really small and light scooters, such as my Honda Metropolitan, would still be vulnerable to theft if left in the above area not locked up. Still, this is a highly effective use of space.

Adjacent to a major trolley line is a small parking lot with a Flexcar, allowing members easy access to a car for those times they need one.

San Diego’s trolley system has some interesting differences with say Portland’s streetcar.  In reality, technology these days is developing and blending so quickly the differences between streetcar, trolley, tram and light rail and getting muddied. In the downtown area the trolley acted pretty much like a streetcar, stopping every 4 blocks or so.  However, as I took a suburban line toward Mexico the distance between stations could be measured in miles and the trolley acted more like a regional light rail system.
Above is a trolley with 3-4 cars at their 5th Avenue station.  The first thing you will notice is no raised platform.  The very front door includes a ramp for those needing wheelchair access.  In the extreme left of the image you will see a regular door open with a couple of steps and a final step slides out when the door opens.  Given how the wheelchair requirement is handled as a special case, the remainder of the system is pretty simple.  I did notice people boarding with bicycles or child strollers having difficulty.  Someone with physical disabilities but not in a wheelchair would also have issues with this set up.
Like St. Louis’ lightrail system, this operates on a honor system basis so their are no gates.  Just buy your ticket and board.  Unlike St. Louis, however, you must pay more for the greater distance you are traveling on the system.

When you approach a stopped trolley the doors do not open.  You press a button on the side of the vehicle to activate the door.  Similarly, from the inside when you reach a stop you press a button to open the door you wish to exit.

I took the above picture while riding their trolley, showing a large area of downtown that has been rebuilt at a high-density residential neighborhood. Being adjacent to their CBD with easy transit access to other areas makes this a desirable place to live. However, I understand developers in other parts of downtown have gone too far and they have a glut of condos, more so in high rises.

This is just around the corner from the prior picture. In the foreground you can see the track and the yellow “stand behind” line. Here the street width was divided up to allow a single flow of one-way traffic with on-street parking on one side.

A few blocks away two new buildings surround the existing trolley line. The building on the left is a good 20+ floors while the one on the right is more like 8 floors. Again, cars and rail transit don’t mix here but by creating a narrow space it works well.

I took San Diego’s Blue Line trolley all the way to the Mexican border. The building in the background on the right is the customs office for those crossing the border on foot or bicycle.

To get to dowtown I took a city bus while runs along a major street just a block from my friend’s house.  I noticed they have several brands/models of bus but most are what we will have eventually, a “low-floor” bus pretty much like those used in our region by Madison County Transit.  In these buses the floor is very low and when the bus stops it lets out some air on the suspension system and the floor is pretty well even with the curb height.  This makes boarding & unboard much easier and faster.  At the rear of the bus you get an area that steps up a bit above the rear axel.  Like the trolley system, you pay more depending upon where you are going.

I’ve got lots more to see while in San Diego including a couple of grocery stores with underground or rooftop parking.

Please Feed The Reg Parking Meters

Back in November 2006 I brought you a review of the two types of electronic parking meters being tested on South Grand – Pay-N-Display and Pay-Per-Space. At the end of February 2007, the study came to an end and regular meters returned.

I’ve not heard anything from the Treasurer’s Office on the outcome of the study. I still personally prefer the Pay-N-Display as it allows more cars in a given space depending upon the size of the car and the parking skill of the driver.

Overall, based on my own experience, the test went well. However, on several occassions I attempted to use the credit/debit function and it was not working. Lacking any change I simply left my car unpaid and managed to avoid tickets. However, had the machines accepted dollar bills I would have gladly paid.  The lack of bill acceptance was a big drawback in my view.

Did you use the test meters?  What was your experience?

The Next Conservatives are Pro-Aesthetics?

Last month the Saint Louis Metropolitan Area Council of Conservative Citizens had an interesting post about the end of “new right” and discussing the “next conservatism” and referenced Urban Review STL.  Now, I know what you are thinking, I’m about as conservative as Rush Limbaugh is liberal.

They started off referencing an article in The American Conservative magazine:

If the New Right is dead, or dying, what could be offered in its place? What will be “The Next Conservatism”?

Weyrich and Lind say that it must be a social conservatism, and it must be a cultural movement (not economic) and not a political movement (although the political sphere must not be surrendered).

Themes of “the next conservatism” in article:

– pro-homeschooling
– rejection of mainstream culture
– anti-affirmative action
– anti-political correctness in all forms (e.g. charges of ‘racism’, ’sexism’, etc.)
– anti-abortion
– anti-gay “marriage”
– anti-illegal immigration, anti-amnesty, and pro-reduction in legal immigration
– pro- strong national defense based in America’s concrete interests, but an abandonment of the Bush/neocon Wilsonian foreign policy
– pro-agrarianism
– anti-two party system in Washington
– pro-environmentalism in the sense of pro-conservation
– skeptical of big business
– pro-aesthetics (and disdain of ugly growth, such as strip malls)
– pro-trains and streetcars

This sounds like the Council of Conservative Citizens almost to a tee.

There is so much to talk about in the above list but the short answer is very little of that fits me, except at the end.  Of course, my views on urbanism are not based on aesthics although that does play apart.  It is more about the relationships between buildings and the related public space.  They then go on to reference my site in serveral places, such as here:

The irony here is that URSTL blog has a liberal political bias; however, I think its emphasis on urban uniqueness and its opposition to suburban uglification is more in tune with a properly understood and historically correct version of “conservatism,” (and what Weyrich/Lind think it will be again), that is, opposition to homogenization in all its forms.

It almost sounds as if a rational conversation could be had around common ground but then they speak on trains & streetcars:

Yes, that “preponderance of racial minorities utilizing public transit by necessity” is such a problem in our society.  Too bad decades of policy decisions have created such a necessity.  And too bad they can’t all drive single occupancy SUVs spewing pollutants into the air.

Click here to read the full post from the Saint Louis Metropolitan Area Council of Conservative Citizens.  For the article reference click here.

What Should Lewis Reed’s Agenda Be?

Yesterday my post suggesting President of the Board of Aldermen – elect Lewis Reed address a simple city-wide issue of bike parking has people wondering if that is what we want him and his staff working on. For me and others, bike parking is not just about bike parking. Click here to see that post.

Lewis Reed has four “issues” on his website: Crime & Safety, Responsible Economic Development, Accountability & Leadership and Information Technology and Access to Government. I thought I’d take a look at each of these to see how that fits into the big picture.

CRIME AND SAFETY

The cornerstone of my campaign to become your next President of the Board of Alderman is to work hard to make our city safer and to lessen all types of violent and civil crime. I initiated and helped pass legislation to establish police substations that have expanded community policing to increase public safety citywide. I will lead our effort to ensure the allocation of sufficient resources to our prosecutor’s office so that repeat criminals no longer are on the streets. I worked for full funding of the MAP problem property initiative, which holds property owners financially and personally accountable to their tenants and the city. I concretely support city budgetary allocations that will put 40 new police officers on the street to ensure greater public safety. Another major goal of mine is to help find funding to hire more police officers. As recent history has shown, I will also work closely with our other city and state elected officials for more federal money so that our city is prepared for any type of disaster, natural or man-made.

All of the above is about police and focusing on problem properties, certainly valid approaches. But where is the discussion about increasing safety due to the sheer number of people out on the sidewalks? Active streets are safe streets.

RESPONSIBLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT—NEW OPPORTUNITIES

I have been directly responsible for $1.7 billion dollars in new economic development initiatives along with various infrastructure improvement projects. I introduced, sponsored, and directed the passage of the first Neighborhood Tax Increment Financing legislation in St. Louis City and its largest Community Improvement District (CID), which redeveloped Lafayette Square. Where businesses such as Sqwires and 1111 Mississippi thrive now, once stood vacant, dilapidated factories and lots that were only good for burning tires.

Our neighborhoods are still the greatest nest eggs of opportunity. I will work hard to expand our tax base by offering more affordable housing opportunities in the still depressed areas of our city that have been overlooked for far too long. I want to establish a legislative agenda that meets the needs of our citizens to offer hope and opportunity to increase new businesses and expand existing ones. This is evident in the numerous economic development and derelict property redevelopment bills I have introduced in this session alone that will provide for new housing and business opportunities.

Furthermore, in my aldermanic tenure, my legislative initiatives have brought over 300 new jobs to our city. Thus, I have and will continue to be an advocate for strong, but responsible, development.

I concur that it is our neighborhoods that hold much opportunity. I always love how politicians tally up all the development in their jurisdiction and claim they are responsible. I guess that means that if they hadn’t given incentives it wouldn’t have happened otherwise yet seldom do we see any discussion about the quality of the developments.

I think TIF and CID districts are excellent tools but these are great opportunities to develop zoning overlays and other mechanisms to guide development, hopefully avoiding a project by project fight. Unfortunately, most of the politicos focus simply on giving away tax dollars without any design/policy criteria in the interest of the public.

And finally Reed mentions affordable housing but doesn’t really elaborate. I don’t know that we’ve seen any requirements n in the last eight years for new projects in the 6th ward to have an affordable component. What does affordable housing mean on a city-wide basis?

ACCOUNTABILITY AND LEADERSHIP

The Board of Alderman requires a full-time President and I intend to be exactly that. Board of Aldermen meetings must be administered with the utmost efficiency. Our city faces many unique challenges in the new millennium and consistent proactive leadership at the Board of Aldermen is crucial.

Our city has garnered much positive national and international news in recent years, but in 2001 it also drew negative, even infamous, attention due to lack of compassionate leadership and simple peer respect for all board colleagues and their families.

As Board President, I will work hard to set a tone to ensure that all actions and records of the Board of Alderman, its committees, and the Board of Estimate & Apportionment are accessible and we remain accountable to the citizenry.

This section was largely a dig at Shrewsbury over how he managed the Board of Aldermen, including not allowing an alderwoman to use the restroom while holding a filibuster over redistricting. The last paragraph gets into the next topic of access to government.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR BETTER ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT

Having earned a degree in computer science and working for many years as an IT professional, as an alderman I successfully passed legislation that restructured the city’s arcane computer networking and information system to make St. Louis City government more transparent, accessible, and user-friendly for our constituents. I want to expand on this initiative to have more information readily accessible — including voting records of aldermen and the Board of E&A, campaign finance records, and committee actions.

I strongly advocate more openness government and I want to utilize the continuing advances in technology to streamline government processes and services for its citizens.

While this does not address things out in the streets I do think a more accessible government will help get more people involved in the community. Reed indicates he passed legislation that restructered the city’s system. Really? When will that actually take affect? The city’s “CIN” website is about as arcane as they come and so many departments even fail to tell you who is in charge. Inconsistencies are rampant throughout the website. But is this a matter for the head of the legislative body or should the mayor’s office finally step up to the plate and deal with our city’s website?

In 2005 Shrewsbury and his staff improved the Board of Aldermen website by including more information. There is certainly room for more improvement such as votes by individual aldermen. Another big step would actually be able to include the attachments for board bills — nothing is more frustrating than trying to understand proposed legislation only to find “Attachment A” not attached.

Here are the city-wide issues I see missing from Reed’s website, in no particular order:

• Zoning: Our 1940’s era zoning code encourages suburban development and sends the wrong message to developers about the type of city we want. Reed & Slay need to work with the public, as Kansas City has been doing for the last 18 months, to develop a new zoning code reflecting the communities current wishes for the future. We need zoning which is based on building form, not our current use-based zoning. Furthermore, in 2005 the Board of Aldermen passed the new Land Use plan but by not adoping new zoning the land use plan has no teeth.Furthermore, new zoning can be pro-development. Currently developers are at the whim of individual aldermen if they want to do anything different than what the old zoning allows. With physical development being a big part of what St. Louis will be doing over the next 20 years it only makes sense to give us a good foundation upon which to literally build. With consistent form-based zoning deliniating what it is we are seeking throughout the city it will help developers by knowing what is expected of them. Rewards such as allowing more floors if a developer does other things (underground parking over a blocky base, payments to an affordable housing fund) can improve the quality of new construction without punishing anyone.
• Transportation: Discussion in the city about transportation has focused on how to create more lanes across the Mississippi River into Illinois. What about mass transit? Metro (aka Bi-State) needs a tax increase from the city and county to continue basic operations but I’ve heard nothing out of Reed or Slay on this issue. Furthermore, East-West Gateway has been planning new rail transit for northside and southside, requiring additional funding. Again, leaders in the city have been quite on trying to get the necessary funding. We need some city-wide discussion of transportation issues and solutions.
• Regionalism: Lewis Reed needs to reach out to the rest of the region to build a coalition around issues bigger than the city limits such as transportation. Collectively, our city leaders could be a strong force in the region. One area to address is how municipalities continue to steal sales tax revenue from each other. St. Louis needs to step up our profile in the region.

• Charter Reform: Shrewsbury was a supporter of charter reform until it came to eliminating the post he held. Will Lewis Reed take a similar view of charter reform — change other positions but not mine? I have little confidence that anyone in office currently can really take on the issue of improving city government through charter reform.Of course, my favorite form of charter reform would be to shift our elections to non-partisan, effectively eliminating one election every two years. This would also reduce the stranglehold the local democrats have over the system to further their own personal interests.We have a couple of choices in going non-partisan in our local elections. Under our current system, in a 3-way or more race it is likely the winner would be chosen even without 50% of the vote. It happened that our one 3-way race this week (6th ward) the winner received over 50% of the vote. But had she only received 49% she still would have been declared the winner. If we want the winner to receive 50% or more of the vote we could hold a second vote between the two highest candidates. The better solution is Instant Run-Off elections where voters rank the candidates and:

  “if no candidate receives an overall majority of first preferences the candidates with fewest votes are eliminated one by one, and their votes transferred according to their second and third preferences (and so on) and all votes retallied, until one candidate achieves a majority.”

  Again, I don’t see Reed and the majority of aldermen backing him looking seriously at various proposals to refine our government structure.

Bike Parking a Good City-Wide Issue for Lewis Reed

The city faces many big issues all needing attention, including things like our outdated zoning and city charter. Michael Allen has a nice commentary on the big issues still facing us today, the day after a big election. He’s right, our political system needs a major re-think. But that is not what has kept me awake (it is 3am). No, I’m looking for some real & simple areas where Board President-elect Lewis Reed can use his new city-wide status and majority of the board support. Bike facilities came to mind.

Reed, during the campaign, rightfully bragged about being a founding alderman with Bike St. Louis, a series of on-street urban bike routes throughout a limited area in the city. Basically, those aldermen willing to part with some of their funds helped shape the routes through their wards. Interestingly, it is all south of Delmar. But I am not looking for more bike lanes or share the road signs, I want bike parking. Urban cyclists use their bikes for errands but need places where they can secure their bikes at they make their trips.

Here is where Reed, working with Mayor Slay’s office, can make a difference:

• Make it easier for private property owners to place an approved bike rack in the public right of way.
• For projects with public funding & public parking, require bike parking.
• For projects requiring a public parking lot, such as a shopping center, require bike parking regardless of any public funding.
• And finally set up a program such as Chicago’s whereby the city provides and installs bike racks along major commercial streets based upon a request from local cyclists or business owners.

Let’s examine these areas in more detail.

Currently for a building owner to place a bike rack in the public right of way (say on the outer edge of the sidewalk in line with street trees and lamp posts) they must jump through many hoops. You see, the city considers such a bike rack placed by a private entity to be an enchroachment into the public space. In reality, it would be an amenity such as a bench or trash can. Our current view of bike racks pretty much eliminates the possibility a building owner will opt to place a bike rack in front of their business. Policy changes within the city can reverse this without costing the city.

Similarly, for projects that require public parking we should look at mandating bike parking. This is especially important for those projects receiving subsidies from the public. In these cases, we should look at some ratio of reducing full sized auto spaces in exchange for providing bike parking. Throughout the country numerous cities have similar requirements, including Springfield MO. Issues such as rack type, dispersement and placement would need to be written into an amended parking ordinance.

Ideally we as a city would fund bike parking along public rights of way, perhaps through parking fees at meters and city owned parking garages. The more cyclists we have, the less demand we have to provide on-street spaces, vast surface lots and costly parking garages. Commercial streets such as Euclid, Martin Luther King, South Grand, Cherokee should all have bike racks among the city-provided amenities, just as is the case along Washington Ave downtown. This, unlike the others, requires funding. So this may need to be a stated goal while the others are implimented in short order.

Bike parking will not be a watershed moment that turns the city around. However, it will add to the quality of life for those who use the bike racks and set us apart from the balance of the region which simply cannot match the urbanity of our commercial districts.

As subtle as they may be, bike parking is something of importance to the “creative class” which seek out other cities while overlooking St. Louis. We need them as residents as well as the jobs that always seem to follow them around.