The transition is underway
Posted by Heather B on October 17th, 2006My city blog, Urban Compass, officially has a new spot to roost.
Archive for the 'Urban Compass' Category
ULI report: Jeff Kaplan on the “soul of the city”
Posted by Heather B on October 13th, 2006At last month’s ULI panel presentation, Jeff Kaplan, an associate with Wulfe & Co. in Houston, Texas, addressed the matter of Springfield’s image and potential for reinvention—with focus on its culture, its economy, and its government. He began by sharing the panel’s observation that there seems to have been a lack of a vision. “The […]
ULI report: Ray Kuniansky on neighborhood strategies
Posted by Heather B on October 13th, 2006At the ULI panel’s presentation last month, Ray Kuniansky, Chief Operating Officer for the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, spoke about how to “strengthen the present” and “plan for the future.” He began by praising Springfield’s assets: it’s a compact city with abundant major institutions, beautiful buildings, and many open spaces with greenery and water—making “a […]
ULI report: Alvin McNeal on “making a visible difference”
Posted by Heather B on October 13th, 2006At last month’s ULI panel presentation, Alvin McNeal, Senior VP for Planning and Development at Fraser Forbes Company in McLean, Virginia, spoke about adopting new development strategies in Springfield.
“In reviewing the most successful cities,” McNeal began, “one of the lessons, or recurring themes, all of us have been able to identify is that they began […]
ULI report: Patrick Fox on clear goals, accountability and scarce resources
Posted by Heather B on October 13th, 2006At the ULI panel’s presentation last month, Patrick Fox, president of Saint Consulting Group in Hingham, Massachusetts, offered the shortest segment about establishing accountability in Springfield.
Offering a single visual element—a slide listing eight critieria for the use of scarce resources, including both land and finances—Fox described a “struggle over the allocation of resources. …There has […]
Works of their own
Posted by Heather B on October 12th, 2006I’ve been working for a few weeks now with a class at a local elementary school, under the tutelage of the school’s writing instructor, to create a published project generated by the students. The form the project takes will likely be something in print initially, as that comes easiest. I have been hoping also to […]
The search for “quality renters”
Posted by Heather B on October 10th, 2006Springfield resident, registered nurse and real estate broker Mary Ayala attended the Urban Land Institute panel’s presentation on Friday, September 29. She raised an issue during the question-and-answer session about the concern many property owners have in the city, which is how to find “quality renters” to fill apartments and houses. A lot of owners […]
Where we live
Posted by Heather B on October 6th, 2006Connecticut public radio station WNPR’s weekday morning show, “Where We Live,” featured an excellent two-parter about the city of Bridgeport last month. It’s called “A Tale of Two Connecticuts: Part 1” and “Part 2.” From WNPR’s site:
It’s been said often. There are two Connecticuts…one made up of the very rich, and one for the very […]
For what it is
Posted by Heather B on October 5th, 2006As the school year approached, and summer wound down, I found myself avoiding calls from a particular family. I was wracked with guilt about this. I avoided the calls because I knew what they were about, and I was frustrated, even angry, in the anticipation. My feelings were futile, and I was cowardly. The caller […]
A seat at the table
Posted by Heather B on October 4th, 2006Amherst, Massachusetts is taking a look at its comprehensive master planning process. What can sometimes feel like a dry, drawn-out, no-quick-results experience is being jazzed up by rainbow colors on the town Web site.
Last night, the western Massachusetts support group Hidden-Tech sponsored a “new media focus group” in the basement of Amherst’s Jones Library. The […]