Downtown, Somewhere
Have you ever heard the term ‘Anywhere America’? I use this term when describing the character of a place that had fallen victim to suburban auto-oriented retail syndrome. The place that I’m trying to describe here is generally a characterless intersection, often where two state roads meet near a highway exit/entrance with a gas station on one corner, cookie-cutter fast food chains and big box retail stores sitting behind enormous swathes of asphalt for parking. You find these intersections all over the United States, hence the term ‘Anywhere, America’. At Citiesense, we think it’s time for a new ‘Anywhere, in America”, or more appropriately, it’s time for a ‘Somewhere, in America’. I decided to try this concept out when I stepped off the train one morning a few months ago into a downtown Somewhere. Here are my notes:
I am not a morning person. Coffee helps, but I haven’t had any yet and I’ve been up since 6, so that’s mission-critical at this point. My train pulls into the station in downtown Somewhere at 8:48 AM. This leaves me with an hour to kill before my meeting. First coffee, and then perhaps a walk around to explore downtown Somewhere. The station empties out into the city center, with easy access to the office buildings nearby. Following the crowd of people heading into the city, I step out onto the platform.
I pull out the iPhone and search for coffee. The usual suspects pop up on Google Maps, and I try to find a local place that might provide some clues to the character of downtown Somewhere. The map on my phone directs me a block up, into a beautiful old arcade restored in historically preserved style with a Victorian glass roof. I find a little cafe named after an Ayn Rand character, nestled in among other local businesses and artist workshops. Noting the classical music when I walk in, I order a small coffee with milk and ask the barista, “How’s business?”, to which she replies ,”Great, but could be busier.” It’s a nice little spot.
Coffee in hand, I head back out into the brisk March air, turning towards the waterfront. I pass a park with paths pushed through the snow. As I notice a couple of flyers for a weekly farmer’s market that runs till October, I try to imagine people lying out on green grass in the shade of the big old white oaks here in the summer. Right across the street from the park is a newly constructed mixed-use apartment building, which is an interesting modern compliment to the adjacent historic bank building with its solid stone columns and carvings. The old bank space is now home to the offices of a local architecture firm that I’m familiar with. It’s a great project, and an important element in the ongoing revitalization of the downtown. A couple blocks north, this revitalization continues with three important projects currently underway.
As I walk further down Main Street toward the waterfront, I pass more ‘For Lease’ and ‘Coming Soon’ signs, and a couple of new restaurants that I don’t remember seeing the last time I was in town: a positive sign of the neighborhood’s new life. The wind picks up as I head to the water, down a relatively complete street with green medians and wide pavements (bike paths coming soon, I’m sure) that will be perfect for eating outside during warmer months. Yet on this chilly March morning, the public realm is mainly a means of getting from A to B, with people heading to school or work, coming in from the train, and bringing life to this wintery street scene. It’s a mixed crowd; some young families, some senior citizens, and a stream of office-goers and visitors coming from the train station, the underground parking garage and possibly the ferry from Long Island. Intrigued, I head out to the pier to find a boardwalk and a ferry service to Long Island that runs hourly. Across the river I survey the construction progress on a massive real estate development project, which I personally know will be adding about a thousand new housing units over the next 8 years. Resolving to come back when it’s warmer, I head back downtown to meet my colleagues so that we’re on-time for our meeting. As we open the door to Bridgeport, CT’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, I am excited. My team and I at Citiesense are looking forward to working with this great American city to share the story of growth and development with the growing number of people interested in revitalizing downtowns.
To browse a interactive map of Downtown Bridgeport for more information about this city’s economic development status, please visit: www.citiesense.com/cities/bridgeport
More information about the recently completed Mechanics Farmers Bank project here.
For more information about the three Downtown North Projects currently in-progress check out the Securities Project, the Preservation Block and the Jayson and Newfield Buildings.
For more information on the renovations taking place at Housatonic Community College’s Lafayette Hall, visit this page: Housatonic Community College.
For more information on the $1 billion project across from the ferry terminal take a look at Steelpointe Harbor.
