Can "Intelligent Urbanism" make Plainfield a better place to live?

Part I

Plainfield is in the midst of considering several development proposals. Urban redevelopment is a term that some of us have become very familiar with as of late. Not knowing what its means could be dangerous to you if your are in its path of construction. Growth, economic stagnation, blight and finally "redevelopment" are a regular part of America's cities cycle of growth and decline. This ongoing attempt to revitalize communities that were once economic powerhouses is certainly a worthy cause. But maybe just maybe urban communities are ready to concede that after over 50 years of towing the line the old revitalization strategies simply don't work. When we look at the statistics the numbers just don't lie. Higher than average levels of poverty and crime combined with lower standard test scores in nearly all of America's urban school systems. These socioeconomic realities are the alarm going off that no one seems to hear. We must act with a sense of urgency. We must change course or expect the same results.

There is much to learn or at least consider from our "friends" across the pond. Intelligent Urbanism is essentially a new set of priorities based on the idea that buildings and machines should be built around people and instead of vice versa. Some of Europe's cities are hundreds even thousands of years old. They have been doing this whole "city thing" for a while now. Cities across Europe are now focusing on how to allow and encourage investment without losing control of the redevelopment process. Their belief is that a city's ultimate purpose and function is to encourage human development. This is done by establishing the requisites that support and improve quality of life factors such as... strong job growth, a healthy environment, access to parks and recreation and a high quality education.

The following link will connect you to a Economic conference that was held at The Hague, The Netherlands, in November of 2006. It shows various Urban Planners and Economists sharing what they see as the positive aspects of "intelligent urbanism" and why it is being implemented in urban centers all across Europe. Some participants do not speak English but those portions are close captioned.

Click the link and tell me what you think!

http://www.reurba.org/reports9/film-experts.html

Part II to follow.