We’ve been walking and looking and thinking about the idea of “place making” that seems to arise when someone wants to un-make a place. Wabash Avenue in Chicago has lately caught the eye of the improvers.
Wabash Avenue has, like so much of any city, changed gradually over the years. It’s the pace of change that’s really in question here. Gradual change is more complicated than change that’s planned and executed in a timely manner, on time and on budget. Gradual change means more people, more other changes going on behind each small change.
What we get from the slowness is place- a street, a neighborhood- that’s…use your favorite adjective here (dense, “thick”, “chewy”, etc. your turn). Slower change can make the place more interesting and, if the change sticks, what changed is probably engaging more people and more different kinds of people. That means real “diversity” and probably means economic diversity.
So fine, prove it, right? Where’s your “metrics.” Primary Source is using this methodogy: strolling and clicking the camera. Click: good eats in here. Click: diamonds and hummous in here. Click: landmark hotel over here. Click: upstairs for good smokes. Click: hot dogs and fried chicken together again. Click: “give the lady what she wants,” under new ownership. Buy some cloth, need a button? Click. Cupcakes only, no cookies need apply. Click. Wabash Avenue, all place all day all night. It’s always changing, that’s what a city does, too many people not to.
Take the Time
nan turpin photograph
PRIMARY SOURCE 