(22. July 2009, 10:04 by David Boe) ~ Huff and PuffImagine Tacoma – Climbing the Hill #2
With word that the old escalade at the South 12th Street Hill-climb is soon to be demolished and with recent experience of the steepness of pedestrian routes at the core of downtown (East to West that is) along with the continued lament about the L-O-N-G super blocks along Pacific Avenue (no even numbered street going West if you haven’t noticed), imagine some additional connections to create a continuous walking route from the City/County Building down to the Thea Foss Waterway:
Tacoma Park (Tacoma to Court E): Remove the fencing for this half-block. With proper maintenance of the planting and with the recent installation of lighting, these silly little fencing rails need to go away (and if on a beautiful Friday lunchtime the gates are locked – what is the point of these pedestrian ‘exclosures’ in a pocket park?).
Click to Enlarge
McCormick Park (Court E to Fawcett): Remove the interior fencing here as well. If the exterior fences are to remain due to security concerns (which I am sure is not an imagined concern) – then make it a proper high fence with large gates on each end of the route. London is full of these wonderful pocket parks that are only open during the day (watch ‘Notting Hill’ again to refresh your memory of the concept).
Beautify Fawcett: For the stretch South along Fawcett, improve the landscaping and lighting along the pedestrian route (the lighted and striped crosswalk is already there!) – some larger street trees along the existing suburban parking lots would be nice.
Public/Private Partnerships Connections (Fawcett to Court D, Court D to Market, Market to Court C): Work with property owners adjacent to additional connection routes to develop pedestrian routes along their building to connect down to Court C (somehow that City is able to do this with the Pacific Plaza Project – so why not at other connections as well).
Court C to Broadway to Commerce Hillclimb: This existing portion works pretty well – and to my knowledge it has the only open public convenience in Downtown.
Commerce to Pacific: New and improved coming soon.
To the Foss: Once down to Pacific Avenue – improve the connection at the Murray Morgan Bridge and South 15th Street. And what ever happened to the imaginative Brodsky/Utkin Trestle idea at South 12th Street?
David Boe has been the Principal Architect for BOE architects in downtown Tacoma for the past 13 years. David's kept married to his best friend for the past 27 years and he writes for us because it's cheaper than therapy. He avoids jelly beans or candy canes but will get up close and personal with chocolate chip cookies anytime.
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Nicely thought out Mr. Boe. I have often wished for such a staircase while walking around downtown.
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Now go design a floating stage.
1 | Posted by MattonGrant | Jul 22, 10:18 AM
Funicular.
All the Cool Cities have one. Can’t we go Baracking for More Dollars and get one?
2 | Posted by MattonGrant | Jul 22, 10:45 AM
This may be a good idea, but we solved this problem about a century ago with a cable car. Additionally, stairs don’t change the amount of energy that must be spent to climb the hill, they just make it more… ya know, stepped. People have their limits. Few are going to make the trek from A to MLK, no matter how nice the urban pathways are.
Additional commentary on Tacoma’s cable car loop :
The only US cities to have cable cars after Tacoma were Seattle and San Francisco. Tacoma’s one simple line lasted so long because it solved a problem … the Tacoma Railway and Motor Company’s cable line, … was meant to be part of an integrated system, connecting electric lines on different levels with the downtown area.
Hilton states, “If one were to choose the single cable line which was most justified by geographic and economic considerations, the Tacoma installation would be the probable choice.”
…imagine some additional connections to create a continuous walking route from the City/County Building down to the Thea Foss Waterway:
Good ideas. One of the problems in downtown Tacoma that contributes to its deadness are the “superblocks” that that are installed.
Small blocks help a city to thrive according to Jane Jacobs.
This interactive exhibit explores contemporary New York through Jacobs’ groundbreaking views on the elements of a healthy city, the value of small blocks, the importance of civic activism and the benefits of a diverse and dynamic neighborhood.
I’d prefer cable-cars. People just won’t climb that hill on foot and downtown suffers for it.
I like the idea of a line on 13th to MLK to 15th to Foss and a seperate one on 11th to MLK to 9th to A street.
Put cable cars on the ballot and it will pass. This would be a GREAT investment for Tacoma.
5 | Posted by Jesse | Jul 22, 05:55 PM
and so I say thanks but no thanks on those cable cars to nowhere. 30% of American children are little lard pugs. Forcing them to climb their fat asses up stairs is a good thing.
Climb those stairs fatty! Does a body good.
6 | Posted by RR Anderson | Jul 23, 11:52 AM
ix-nay on the cable cars and a full-blown funicular not necessary. Just buy an open-air lift on e-bay from some ski resort that is either going out of business or upgrading. You could go from the Foss to the top of the Hill for less than $1M.
7 | Posted by Squid | Jul 23, 02:34 PM
I actually thought of that too Squid. That sure would make Tacoma interesting!
8 | Posted by Jesse | Jul 23, 04:17 PM
What this town needs is a reliable rickshaw service.
9 | Posted by Mofo from the Hood | Jul 23, 10:46 PM
@RR #6: It is amazing, over a relatively short two centuries, how badly Americans have neglected the physical capacity of our muscle and sinew out of sheer laziness. I’m thinking back to the time I spent on vacation in a little hill town outside of Florence, Italy – I was dumbfounded to see the bent-over little old ladies leaning on their pushcarts walking up hills longer and steeper than 12th, on centuries-old COBBLESTONES to boot; they did it every day of their lives.
We can’t climb five city blocks without asking for mechanical assistance. We do suck, don’t we?
10 | Posted by Jim C | Jul 24, 09:49 AM
Another way to look at it is maybe Americans are just a very efficient organism. Aren’t most animals genetically programmed to not expend energy so they can survive? only needing to hunt/track down food and procreate? What other animals needless wander and exercise?
11 | Posted by I'm for Change (for tacoma) | Jul 24, 10:45 AM
Ha – we’re too efficient for our own good, IFCFT, that’s the problem. The endgame is Walt Disney & Ted Williams reincarnated in Gundam-style mech suits.
“Give me your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle…”
12 | Posted by Jim C | Jul 24, 01:34 PM
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