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Which American cities were walkable and transit filled? It sure wasn't Columbia, SC. Again, you are trying to compare our small city to cities that are more than 4-5 times our size. Lexington, is a result of poor planning. Just like hardscrabble, all of those developments should have garnered better highway planning way before this point. Walking, biking, buses, and trains in Lexington to go where exactly?
I'm not against walkability but I think things should be more practical for our area. Not now or any time in the next 60 years will we face any of the challenges associated with cities as large as Atlanta. Instead, we should have parking garages but they should be multipurposed. There's been plans for a downtown hotel to be built on top of an existing garage. We could also have garages that have retail on the ground floor such as the one on Assembly. A developer could decide to build condos atop one of existing garages. The only issues with parking that I think we can all agree on is there are too many surface lots. If we could get rid of some of those spots and force parking into garages then fine, ut saying we should all want to be on a packed train like you were in Charlotte is laughable.
Not sure about walkability but Columbia had streetcars for decades in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Which American cities were walkable and transit filled? It sure wasn't Columbia, SC. Again, you are trying to compare our small city to cities that are more than 4-5 times our size. Lexington, is a result of poor planning. Just like hardscrabble, all of those developments should have garnered better highway planning way before this point. Walking, biking, buses, and trains in Lexington to go where exactly?
I'm not against walkability but I think things should be more practical for our area. Not now or any time in the next 60 years will we face any of the challenges associated with cities as large as Atlanta. Instead, we should have parking garages but they should be multipurposed. There's been plans for a downtown hotel to be built on top of an existing garage. We could also have garages that have retail on the ground floor such as the one on Assembly. A developer could decide to build condos atop one of existing garages. The only issues with parking that I think we can all agree on is there are too many surface lots. If we could get rid of some of those spots and force parking into garages then fine, ut saying we should all want to be on a packed train like you were in Charlotte is laughable.
The surface lot to parking garage transition was actually Charlotte's first step in the 90s/00s. I lived in Charlotte when the blue line was first built and the reception was poor to say the least. The wealth citizens of South Park, Myers Park, and other areas southwest of Uptown rioted of the spending, there were constant stories about how bad of an investment it was, an usage was very, very low. It took well over a decade for the train to shape development in South End, which is why the light rail is full now. I believe the blue line ended up costing over $1B and 1/4 was picked up by NC with 1/2 picked up by the Federal Transit Authority. This is all to say that Charlotte's growth has been incremental and in some sense very lucky as it tapped into a few big infrastructure moments.
It's not realistic to think Columbia can jump straight to mass transit without building heavy density in downtown, a large part of which is drawing new corporate HQ or back office functions, and really building a strong housing foundation in walking distance to Main Street. There's plenty of footprint. If the city really wants strong growth, it should start thinking about how to redevelop the very central areas on either side of Bull Street (the street, not Commons) from 2 story houses or buildings into 4-5 story apartments via zoning and maybe small incentives.
The surface lot to parking garage transition was actually Charlotte's first step in the 90s/00s. I lived in Charlotte when the blue line was first built and the reception was poor to say the least. The wealth citizens of South Park, Myers Park, and other areas southwest of Uptown rioted of the spending, there were constant stories about how bad of an investment it was, an usage was very, very low. It took well over a decade for the train to shape development in South End, which is why the light rail is full now. I believe the blue line ended up costing over $1B and 1/4 was picked up by NC with 1/2 picked up by the Federal Transit Authority. This is all to say that Charlotte's growth has been incremental and in some sense very lucky as it tapped into a few big infrastructure moments.
It's not realistic to think Columbia can jump straight to mass transit without building heavy density in downtown, a large part of which is drawing new corporate HQ or back office functions, and really building a strong housing foundation in walking distance to Main Street. There's plenty of footprint. If the city really wants strong growth, it should start thinking about how to redevelop the very central areas on either side of Bull Street (the street, not Commons) from 2 story houses or buildings into 4-5 story apartments via zoning and maybe small incentives.
I agree with everything you said. The Blue Line didn't begin construction until around 2007 when Charlotte was already well established as a business and financial hub with a BofA HQ and an NFL franchise downtown. Columbia is not the 2007 version of Charlotte.
The only problem with Bull Street is it's lined with either churches or structures that were deemed historical. I'm not really sure if the historical designation means the structure cannot be torn down and the land repurposed though. If I'm not mistaken, the small shop that was next to the library had that designation, but it was demolished to make way for the new student housing project that is being constructed there. I've always looked at Bull Street as an important artery for downtown since it feeds a large amount of traffic from 277. More development does need to go that way but I would imagine there being plenty of pushback and obstacles in the way.
Speaking of the student housing projects, the one on Assembly next to the IHOP is an example of the multipurpose for parking structures that I mentioned. It has retail space on the ground floor and is wrapped with apartments. Our surface lots should be converted into something similar, but offer separate gates for public and private parking for residents and/or employees. I don't think parking needs to be eliminated but we do need to get away from just having standalone garages or surface lots.
I agree with everything you said. The Blue Line didn't begin construction until around 2007 when Charlotte was already well established as a business and financial hub with a BofA HQ and an NFL franchise downtown. Columbia is not the 2007 version of Charlotte.
The only problem with Bull Street is it's lined with either churches or structures that were deemed historical. I'm not really sure if the historical designation means the structure cannot be torn down and the land repurposed though. If I'm not mistaken, the small shop that was next to the library had that designation, but it was demolished to make way for the new student housing project that is being constructed there. I've always looked at Bull Street as an important artery for downtown since it feeds a large amount of traffic from 277. More development does need to go that way but I would imagine there being plenty of pushback and obstacles in the way.
Speaking of the student housing projects, the one on Assembly next to the IHOP is an example of the multipurpose for parking structures that I mentioned. It has retail space on the ground floor and is wrapped with apartments. Our surface lots should be converted into something similar, but offer separate gates for public and private parking for residents and/or employees. I don't think parking needs to be eliminated but we do need to get away from just having standalone garages or surface lots.
No one is saying Columbia is 2007 Charlotte. No one is saying you or anyone else has to “want” to ride a packed train. No one thinks Columbia will ever be Atlanta.
What we’re saying is that adding density and walkability is the right move for cities of all sizes. Not only does it ease congestion by giving people mobility options other than the car, it attracts residents, tourists, businesses, etc., which increases tax revenues. Sprawl is not only unsustainable from an environmental perspective but it is unsustainable financially for cities. A quick Google search will provide countless articles with data supporting this statement.
Again, if you like the suburbs and suburban lifestyle, great. If you want to drive everywhere, okay. But it makes zero sense to say we should keep doing things the way we always have just because that’s the way it’s been done and Columbia isn’t Charlotte or Atlanta. It’s bizarre that filling in the gaps of our downtown with moderately dense, pedestrian-friendly development is in any way controversial.
No one is saying Columbia is 2007 Charlotte. No one is saying you or anyone else has to “want” to ride a packed train. No one thinks Columbia will ever be Atlanta.
What we’re saying is that adding density and walkability is the right move for cities of all sizes. Not only does it ease congestion by giving people mobility options other than the car, it attracts residents, tourists, businesses, etc., which increases tax revenues. Sprawl is not only unsustainable from an environmental perspective but it is unsustainable financially for cities. A quick Google search will provide countless articles with data supporting this statement.
Again, if you like the suburbs and suburban lifestyle, great. If you want to drive everywhere, okay. But it makes zero sense to say we should keep doing things the way we always have just because that’s the way it’s been done and Columbia isn’t Charlotte or Atlanta. It’s bizarre that filling in the gaps of our downtown with moderately dense, pedestrian-friendly development is in any way controversial.
No, actually this current conversation began because someone mentioned another parking garage for 5 points and they said that it needed less parking and more walkability. Myself and another user said that it needs parking, but I am not opposed to infill. For this reason, I mentioned more multipurpose garages. A quick look back at the posts would have explained that.
You are echoing my sentiments with filling in the gaps of our downtown with moderately dense, pedestrian- friendly development so I don't know why you said that was controversial. Carolinagarnet mentioned that surface lots to parking garages was the first step that was made in Charlotte which is a point that I was making. We don't need to get rid of parking, we need to find better ways of using surface lots and parking garages. For a city our size we should focus on that first to create more density. We're not in a state of demand for mass transit which seems to be a big topic on this thread. It's unreasonable for a multitude of reasons including spending which is a huge problem right now. You're not going to have that big of a transition happen overnight. Charlotte began planning the blue line in the 80's and it didn't come to fruition until the late 2000's. If we aren't going to have mass transit anywhere in the near future why would you want to get rid of parking? 5 points isn't suddenly about to have a train deliver patrons to the district tomorrow so how else would someone travel there from Harbison? That is my point. I find it bizarre that discussing the size of a city is so offensive.
It depends on what urban-related publications one reads and gets. Cities nationwide are starting to do away with parking minimums. There’s some catch 22 involved, but I say focus on developing a contiguously built city and provide public transportation where the people are and where they’re going.
To chip in my 2 cents. Some small cities have subsidized Uber rides as a means of getting more transit far cheaper than adding infrastructure. If city paid 10% of Uber fares to Columbia addresses, many more people would use the service.
There’s already a partnership with Uber, Lyft and The COMET. You can use it to get to and from grocery stores and you can use it when the bus isn’t in service. Usually after 8pm or before 8am
Columbia Once again missing out on potential Billions. and we wonder why we are losing out to places like Charlotte, Greenville, Charleston.
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