Above is an artist’s rendering of what a developer hopes will be The Shoppes on Broadway, near the corner of Broadway and Taylor Street. Leaving aside the fact that it looks like every other suburban strip mall built in Fort Wayne over the past five years, is it a good building for a city street? [...]
Tag Archives: fortwayne
Breaking the Three Rules of urban design
by Jon Swerens on April 21, 2008, in Architecture, Neighborhoods, Urbanism
A better Barr Street, or a barren one?
by Jon Swerens on April 8, 2008, in Downtown, Urbanism
(Jon) We at The Good City are all for downtown development, but I wonder if the improvements happening on Barr Street will have anything more than a cosmetic effect. Above is the artist’s rendition of what the area will look like. The Journal Gazette said this: Over the next three months, the city will fulfill [...]
The four elements of great coffeehouses
by Jon Swerens on April 4, 2008, in Uncategorized
(Jon) The article is aimed at the college student, but it’s wonderfully applicable to everyone who craves community. The article in Comment magazine is titled “Great coffeehouses, great conversations, and the college experience” and written by Larry Bourgeois, who has been starting coffeehouses and bookstores since the 1970s. As his bio says: Larry believes that [...]
A conservative case for urbanism
by Jon Swerens on April 3, 2008, in Books, Urbanism
(Jon) I plan on posting information and news about Philip Bess in advance of his lecture on April 16 at the downtown library. In that spirit, I found this review at Campus Magazine Online of Bess’ book, “Till We Have Found Jerusalem.” Those who are politically conservative are rightly suspicious of new-fangled sounding ideas about [...]
Urban design professor to speak in Fort Wayne
by Jon Swerens on April 2, 2008, in Architecture, Events, Urbanism
(Jon) If you are interested in city, culture and church, then this lecture later this month is essential listening. Here’s a shortened version of the press release: Notre Dame professor Philip Bess will present a lecture and panel discussion about urban design and sustainable development in Fort Wayne. The event will be 6 p.m. April [...]
Help him find an apartment in Fort Wayne
by Jon Swerens on April 1, 2008, in Community
(Jon) A recent commenter, Joshua Canada, tells us he’s moving to our fair city: My wife and I are planning to move to Ft. Wayne in the late summer. … My wife and I are looking for apartments in Ft. Wayne. Are there any locations or specific apartments that you would recommend? I don’t know [...]
Suburbia: The next slum?
by Jon Swerens on March 19, 2008, in Neighborhoods, Urbanism, Where the sidewalk ends
(Jon) Next American City points us toward a sobering article in The Atlantic about the effects of the subprime crisis on the nation’s suburbs. “The Next Slum?” says these changes “may turn today’s McMansions into tomorrow’s tenements.” Here are some highlights: At Windy Ridge, a recently built starter-home development seven miles northwest of Charlotte, North [...]
Looking back at Southtown Mall
by Jon Swerens on March 16, 2008, in Architecture, Fort Wayne
(Jon) A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the Web site deadmalls.com, which chronicles the sad stories of decaying retail centers. In this article, the featured mall is Fort Wayne’s own now-demolished Southtown Mall. The commentary includes a short history submitted by a Fort Wayne resident and a kind of walking tour made by the [...]
Why the public hates publicly funded art
by Jon Swerens on March 14, 2008, in Architecture, City culture, Downtown, Harrison Square
(Jon) If public art has the power like no other to “brand” a city — think of the Eiffel Tower and the Gateway Arch — then why is the public so often against the expenditure? Dan on Cyburbia thinks it may be the style of art that’s been typically commissioned in the last half of [...]
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