Empowering Neighborhoods to Self Determination

[Dan Slife]

What is fundamentally (kool-aid, for some) necessary for neighborhood stability in turn of the 21 century LakeWood? As we move further into this destructive cycle, how do neighborhoods within the Wood leverage assets to buffer against possible degeneration?

Inspiring ideas were put on the table last night during the community meeting mentioned by Tom Powell Bullock on another thread.
-safety = real presence of the police force, on the beat and more visible on patrol. Safety is key. It's time for a police levy; put 20 more cops on the street NOW!
-home investment = rehab / greening initiatives, value-adding propositions for home owners. Supplementing the HUD 1st time buyer prog with something less predatory- higher income.
-commerce = small biz friendly gov. policy and practice at city hall. less red tape in converting residential to commercial use. Tom Powell Bullock suggests: "The City of Small Businesses"

Steve Gross has suggested: "The City of Neighborhoods"

This is fundemental, and also the most politically difficult, in our current condition.

Steve's interest in creating metropolitan style urban zones of high density hip consumption and living do make sense. That's not to say that such is my cup of tea, but that's not the point.

Neighborhoods in the Wood will have to differentiate, as experimentation with buffering strategies will be, by necessity, complex with variation from neighborhood to neighborhood. I'm thinking of human, infrastructural and social (class)/cultural variables.

Whereas Steve would like to see targeted quasi-metropolis buffering strategies at: west end, down town, north east... I would like to see collective, co-operative buffering strategies on the mid-south east end, specifically in Bird Town.

Lakewood is, in a sense, a snapshot of 1960's America. What that says about our present situation is quite simple: There's cultural holding pattern that resembles that era.

It's not good or bad. Just is.

However, the pattern amounts to a denial of the new reality - i.e. Globalized Economy - which surrounds the Wood. We see it as the deindustrialized city, the desperate sprawl that pulls homesteads further and further from the core in unsustainable fervor to push "growth at all costs", the stagnation of wages, outsourcing of every 'info society' employment base the modern world was fabled to offer-up to legions of credentialed college grads.

We're living in an era of rapid global transformation.

Neighborhoods in Lakewood will have to begin differentiating on the basis of a critically intelligent, over-reaching vision that looks not snake oil panacea's, but to leveraging assets, taking risks and pushing forward into this Brave New World.

We need a citizen's master plan.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Steve Gross has suggested: "The City of Neighborhoods"

This is fundamental, and also the most politically difficult, in our current condition.

Steve's interest in creating metropolitan style urban zones of high density hip consumption and living do make sense. That's not to say that such is my cup of tea, but that's not the point.

Dan

Nice wrap, but it this above that makes me wonder. first we all know that Birdtown(Birdville on a GPS) has been it's own area since the street signs went up.

The other sections that have sprung up are all artificial, and new. The Emerald Canyon Historic District is one of the only new efforts that make sense.

When Steve and I walked the city, he asked to see "The WestEnd" so we walked around on the Westside of Lakewood. He then became somewhat fixated on this, which could cause one to start thinking in "districts." What he might not have realized that "The Westend" was the name of the mall project, not the area. The area became known as the Scenic Park District of Lakewood in an effort to combat ED. No one on the West end of Lakewood really wants to be known as "The Westend" Most were happy to find out they were included in the Emerald Canyon Historic District efforts. The other faux boundary to come out of that was The Williams Sonoma Line.

While Steve Gross and Tom Powell-Bullock have a great grasp of cities and politics, neither have gotten to grips with Lakewood, our needs and our idiosyncrasies. Let's be honest when I first met you and Mr. Warren you were off on the great debate about the metropolitan dynamics of Lakewood. It was one afternoon last year in August where you two grasped the truth that Lakewood is a hollar, just like a town between the mountains in West Virgina. What happens on Riverside affects what is going on on Hird. If we loose residents on Lake it affects those in Birdtown. Most real cities have 6 degrees of separation, in Lakewood it is is closer to 1/2 degree. Remember the day you told me about your mother talking about me in high school, I asked who she was and my face went red.

The other problem with districting is that it allows the one thing I think we all fear, but you know most about, managing the decline of a city. When the city is subdivided, it allows the other groups to give up on one area. "Well the Eastern Crescent has gone to the dogs, well we tried." Type of mentality. It is a kiss of death for a city of only 5 square miles. It takes me 1 hour total to bike up Riverside, down the I-90 south access road, W117 to Lake and back home again, and I am not in shape. Liston probabaly could bike the city in a half hour.

Yesterday morning I had breakfast with a person who is very involved in the city. We had similar views on where the city is, where it is going. what we disagree on was how to do it. He spoke of grants, design, and literately going one store front at a time. My thought is one must grab the city and pull it up together, actually easier to do. My opinionis based on what is going on right now today. It is a kiss of death for this city. Right now the merchants on Madison are livid over the city concentrating on the one area that seemed healthy, while leaving Madison ignored. First "mainstreet" then "studies" then "new lights" then "ceremonies and parks." Those that own businesses on MAdison are wondering when is it their turn? Hottest shop in town is the very upscale Turnstyle Botique. Designer from New York, comes to town, sells one of a kind or designers clothes. Is she really less important than the Party Center. You tell me where the city's mover and shakers talk of heading. Designer clothes, and fancy coffee, or Mardi Gras beads to kids so their kids can be taught the art of tossing, catching an earning them?

If the nightmares that came before us pre 2001 have taught us anything, our strength is working together, living together. For together we have arrived in this strange very small town that together has defied all odds of failure. The latest Prism Report underlines that while some of us would have been happy with no change (in this region a good thing). Lakewood made gains, small but still gains.

You know Frank Mills, and we both have spoken with others. They come to Lakewood to study it, and try to figure it out. Much like Shangri-La



popularized by James Hilton in the 1933 novel "Paradise Lost" those that come in cannot put their finger on it, till they leave, then they get it.

While we can deal with Shangri La, we cannot let the city become Brigadoon. The mysterious city that two American tourists, lost in the Scottish Highlands, stumble upon just as a wedding is about to be celebrated, and their arrival has serious implications for the village's inhabitants.

FWIW

[Shawn Juris]

20 new cops? I thought that Lakewood had a highly responsive department. Is there a need for more or a need to shift some duties? What types of concerns are being expressed in terms of safety?

[ryan costa]

your efforts will be buoyed by the imminent collapse of Globalism.

Globalism relies on the principle of maximizing the distance goods and services and resources travel, in order to temporarily save on labor costs. This is presumably to maximize the number of goods produced and transported, which itself can lead to a lot of waste. What is more, finished goods take up much more cargo space/weight than raw or basic materials. The American Economy has invested all the "savings" of globalism almost exclusively to maximizing the number of car miles individuals must travel for nearly every good, service, amenity, and activity. There simply isn't enough oil and debt financing to continue this much longer.


Critics can blame the subsequent decline in the perceived quality of many people/neighborhoods/towns/cities on liberals or kicking god out of schools. But it is mostly the incoherence taking place in the wake of exurbia and turbo capitalism. We end up paying more in taxes for jails, roads, and oil wars/security than we end up saving at big box retail, or gaining in expectations of the exurban home appreciating in value. The 3 car family pays more for cars and gas than it saves by voting for our manufacturers to compete with third world labor or protectionist Japan and South Korea.

So you see, Lakewood and Cleveland are the cities of the future.

[Jim O'Bryan]

So you see, Lakewood and Cleveland are the cities of the future.

Ryan

You are very wise. Cleveland will be parsed up as we hear the new arrivals have planned for Lakewood. There it makes sense. But so many flaws in the thinking.

Lakewood is perfectly situated for the future, though I disagree on the reason for the collapse in globalism. This is one of the many reason I love your answers. Long range thinking, no bandaids wrapped in humor.

As we both have said, and many other agree on this forum. Gas prices will soar, prices will soar, loan rates will soar, insurance will soar. This will force 90% of America to lifestyles similar to the 1890s. Walking, biking will become the norm. Lakewood which has changed little from the streetcar days, will come back into it's own. This fits in completely with where the world and technology is headed.



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[Jeff Endress]

Jim

First, let me disagree with your assessment of the existence of "sections".

Lakewood has ALWAYS had sections, as far as I can remember. Yes, there is Birdtown (Birdville on GPS). But, since 1900, there has also been Clifton Park, the Lagoons at Clifton Beach. Since the 60's there has been the Gold Coast. I would submit that the "Cliffs", and Edgewater, making up the Northern half of the Williams-Sonoma line, are also readily identifiable. There's always been "Downtown" and the Madison and Detroit business districts. The question in my mind is whether there is need or purpose in "creating" further sections from what's left.
Is there anything so different from French and Virginia that they would be identifiable from say Northland? Or Manor Park and Ramona from Riverside?

Yes we have a variety of housing options and values, but since they are widely dispersed throughout the city, and do not present any cohesive island of like areas, how do you create districts? Likewise, in a city as small and dense as Lakewood, the blending of one district into the next renders the divisions superficial. I agree with your assessment that those superficial divisions allow for cutting the city into artificial segments, and also further the thought that we can sacrifice the east side if that protects the remains. We're simply not large enough to function divided. While certainly we should foster neighborly relations, block parties, etc., an artificial demarcation segments the population at a time it needs to demonstrate a sense of unity of purpose.

Jeff

[ryan costa]

It is more about developing cliques or marketable brands on a block by block basis. We've all heard of linguists being able to place british accents or dialects to within a few blocks of specific cities.

This morning the tv news showed a clipboard of several dozen african american youth arrested on the west side. One of their gangs was called the "west 28th street..."something or other, but I'm sure they hung out in the shopping center parking lot on West 25th. This is because West 25th isn't really a residential street, and the adjacent streets don't have enough bozos to call themselves the West 25th Street Gang.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Jeff and Ryan

Are you both crazy! Marketing! Building a Brand! These words are forbidden by many in this town.

The Gold Coast was an attempt at marketing that stuck. Clifton Park has again been since day one.

But to subdivide and then subdivide again thanks to Ryan's laser cutter of blocks, seem crazy, but that is only me.

The Emerald Canyon Historic district came out of a manageable size to get help with home repair from the state, nothing more.

Jeff when we grew up the borders we imaginary and only in the minds of those that care. North of the tracks, was a big one. Then as people moved in from out of town it became North of Detroit, while those North of the Tracks fell into what could best be called the DMZ, as the true line had moved to Clifton and now Lake. This came as a great shock to those between Clifton and the tracks.

I used to have great fun with a member of the board busting his chops that the "east-side of Lakewood" started at Bunts. He would say Wyandotte, I would counter with Warren. After a couple beers I would agree with Wyandotte, then explain doesn't matter you are still on the east-side of Wynadotte.

Faux designations are fun. REAL borders are not. Again witness the attitude on Madison. They truly feel they have been sacrificed for 7 blocks of Detroit.


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[Jim O'Bryan]

20 new cops? I thought that Lakewood had a highly responsive department. Is there a need for more or a need to shift some duties? What types of concerns are being expressed in terms of safety?

Shawn

I fall somewhere in the middle on this. I listen to the police scanner just as Bill, Stan, DL and others do. The cops are sharp, do not appeared stretched to thinly. some on the force think the money would be better spent on computers and bring who we have now up to speed. Which if it is a real problem and I have no reason to not believe that needs to be addressed now.

With twenty more police come more cars, five more lease, twenty new contracts, twenty new pensions etc.

The flip-side is the city must stay very proactive and ahead of the curve. This is one reason I love covering police stories. When you and I grew up Robt. Lawther's, and Tony Sinagra's city has one theme. Come to Lakewood to live, shop, and have fun. Come for trouble, and you will wish you never crossed the city line. This is a very good perception to put out. All I have ever asked from a city is safe and clean. With safety you can relax while cleaning.

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[ryan costa]

I used to live on Wyandotte off Madison. We were kind of lower-class, and our duplex upstairs neighbors were straight out of the jerry springer show. But our immediate nextdoor neighbors were real spiffy.

It is handy to designate areas of the town by geography. it makes it easier to describe where things are. Yet there is a lot of variety in architecture and socio-economic class and ethnicity in any given area.

[Tom Bullock]

Dan,
Thanks for opening this important thread.

First, a clarification. Improving neighborhoods means adding focus, life, identity--not putting up fences or taking anything away. By encouraging neighborhood-based leadership and neighborhood-appropriate solutions (which should come from residents themselves), we'll be building Lakewood--not cutting off any part via some tourniquet.

"City of Neighborhoods" is an improvement over "Ciy of Homes" because neighborhoods live together, work together, use those great Lakewood front porches for neighbor-to-neighbor conversations. Neighborhoods have block parties, Block Watch safety programs, borrow eggs and a cup of sugar, deliver brownies during holidays. Neighborhoods have cops walking the beat. They have real life. They have personality.

"City of Homes" comes dangerously close to "City of Houses". These days, that can mean people retreating behind closed doors, hiding behind TV screens, using Lakewood as a dormitory (place to sleep), not a community.

There might have been less risk of this in the 50s and 60s when the families had five or six kids, more parents stayed home, the culture was different. But the 50s and 60s are gone. Time to accept that, embrace the change, create a new solution for a new future.

Steve Gross's point was also that some neighborhoods could have commerce and spruced up amenities. Some neighborhoods won't have shops--but some do, and others could. Let's target the three hotspots:

--Add shops and amenities to the Gold Coast
--Keep improving shops in the downtown Detroit district
--Keep improving shops in the West End/Emerald Canyon Historic District

Why this approach? We can't do everything, everywhere, right away. We have to do the doable, start with small successes, then keep on building. By identifying two or three priority hotspots, we concentrate our efforts and actually get something done. Then we'll have demonstrated rebirth in Lakewood not on the virtual community of the Deck, but in the actual reality of our streets. After that, it becomes easier to move on to other areas--err, neighborhoods--who ARE worthy and DO deserve redevelopment (the whole city deserves it).

So Jim, if this means the City has to start with the downtown district on Detroit and Madison Avenue doesn't get the same focused efforts right now, that may not be "fair", but it is reality.

[ryan costa]

Do police have some kind of Union rule against walking beats?

I see them doing it in old Little Rascals and Three Stooges movies. None of them had tazers, but if you accidently collided with a cop it didn't end in an arrest.

[Chris Trapp]

I for one like the idea of promoting neighborhood identities. I think it gives the residents of such a neighborhood a sense of pride and place, as well as providing better opportunities for organization and cooperation among community members.

While Lakewood is not on the scale of Chicago or San Francisco (and their great, distinct neighborhoods), it is large enough that a resident can feel anonymous and distant from decision-makers. While I am interested in what is going on throughout Lakewood, I am probably most interested in what is going on in the blocks within half a mile of mine. By organizing as a smaller community unit, my neighbors and I may be able to accomplish for our neighborhood things that otherwise would not happen.

I don't know that I would want the city to dictate that Clarence, Grace, and Cohassett are going to be the Victorian District, etc. Perhaps a better way would be if citizens and businesses were encouraged to propose such districts. This would lead to a more natural process (albeit encouraged through various incentives by the city) than a committee arbitrarily divvying up the city. I think there are a lot of areas that are obviously a distinct district (as fuzzy as the borders of it may be) as well as many areas that have no obvious differentiators than perhaps a group of residents willing to act as one.

Jim, why do you say that the Emerald Canyon District makes sense...versus Madison Village, versus Birdtown? And what exactly is it composed of...the treatment plant and dogpark?

[Jim O'Bryan]

Jim, why do you say that the Emerald Canyon District makes sense...versus Madison Village, versus Birdtown? And what exactly is it composed of...the treatment plant and dogpark?

Chris

Birdtown is very solid, Madison Village is coming back. I love what they are doing. But there is a small civil war over control of the area.

As for the slight attack on the district, I would say the district runs from just West pf McKinley and Riverside, north to the Lake. This group first came together when the last mayor wanted surround the metro park with a 8'high black chain link fence. Now reorganizing, and hoping to list their homes on the historic register, much like Birdtown did.

As for your block watch rhetoric. You are killing me. Two years before the birth of the paper Mark and I were working on block watches. Almost from day one we have been speaking of it. It has been mentioned in the paper, we even had funding, and one person registered.

Neighborhoods are free to do whatever they can organize. This is not "it is good for us but not you."

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[Kate McCarthy]

City of Neighborhoods is superior to City of Homes for the reasons Tom stated. I love my neighborhood but I'm not sure it needs a "brand" but definitely some sort of structure or overlay to support the wonderful, supportive, neighbor helping neighbor environment that naturally has occurred. I would love to see some mechanism to support neighorhood groups and social cohesion.

But I think branding can be divisive. Lakewood needs more cohesion than division. When I ferry my daughters' friends around our little town my decision to live here is constantly reinforced. They live in very different neighborhoods: in houses overlooking the lake, houses like ours, duplexes, doubles, apartments. They come from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds and thrive within that diversity. The one commonality is a mutual respect for each other and an appreciation of their similiarities and differences. I like living in a community absent a oxymoronic "Cobblestone Chase" and quite honestly have no idea where the Emerald Canyon is.

When I lived in Birdtown many years ago, I loved that it was a little city within a city, walkable with a grocery, green grocer (the original Bin), banks, a corner pub, restaurants, a wonderful five and dime, bakery and public transportation. At the time attempts to organize the neighborhood were met by suspicion from the immigrant groups and the old timers who hated the label Birdtown. I think it was a shame that those amenities were not preserved and wondered if there could have been any incentives to keep the grocery, five and dime, etc. to stay. But to the people who lived there then, the "Birdtown" brand had a very negative connotation.


I'm curious as to what has changed in Birdtown in that it is now "solid".