Comments on: Urban planning: Wichita should reject the fads Portland has followed

By: Wichitator

Wichitator — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:59:54 +0000

Neighborhoods transition. I have lived in transitioning neighborhoods. This is a natural, evolutionary process that local officials often try to modify, delay, accelerate, and control—often all of these steps at the same time.

I believe that it is wrong to do so. Free people living in a free country need freedom. The fact that planners, whether they are local, or at the state/federal levels should not have the ability to control a free people.

So let’s abolish the federal rules for lightbulbs and toilets. Let’s end prescriptive zoning as Mr. O’Toole would favor, and let a free people be free to grow.

There is a claim of “white flight” would result. If this happens, one of the results in lower home prices in the area. This attracts folks and has happened in a number of major cities like Washington, DC to name just one. The planners want people to behave in the way that fulfills the planning mission. That is the antithesis of a free people engaging in their own private pursuits peacefully.

That is why Portland is a great example of what NOT to do in government planning.

By: scott owens

scott owens — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:37:32 +0000

What Mr. O’Toole is really advocating – he may not call it this – is what is also referred to as White Flight.
Let people move out of the core areas of cities allowing them to deteriorate while the outlying areas thrive – who really wants to come in contact with those of a darker skin than they.
Along the way more roads get built which of course require more maintenance, more miles driven, more commute time, more gasoline purchased, more money out of your pocket.

There are cities that do this quite well, his city may not have but that is not a reason to try it here.

By: Pat

Pat — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:49:49 +0000

“I know Pat will be along shortly, assuming he survived his trek to work in 15 degree weather on his bicycle this morning”

Lol. :) Nah, I like driving around in my 13 mpg Yukon.

I generally agree with this particular blog. Wichita does not need to follow Portland’s mess and fortunately, we don’t.

By: Locke

Locke — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:15:09 +0000

This is a good article Bob. The downtown proponents really need to hear these things.

This article mentions traffic congestion and that’s something that really hasn’t been mentioned on this blog as a side effect of our local ‘planning’. We know about the parking issues but a good follow up article would be more details about what the Douglas Design District is planning here in Wichita. It’s not pretty.

I’m going to rant a bit here…

This Portland example shows people really don’t want to use mass transit. It also shows that no one wants to bicycle anywhere either if for no other reason than in most localities for 9 months out of the year weather isn’t bike friendly. No one wants to walk because frankly the neighborhoods surrounding downtown are run down and far to scary for their target demographic to want to spend much time outside a vehicle.

I really don’t understand this pedestrian friendly movement here or anywhere else. The only place it even halfway works is where population density demands it out of pure necessity not because anyone likes it. Its an idealistic concept. Meanwhile the target demographic for our local downtown are fleeing Wichita City limits. There’s a lot of reasons for this flight but lack of downtown probably doesn’t make the top 10. (mostly to avoid USD 259 and crime) I wonder who they expect to have left in city limits to tax in the coming years.

I know Pat will be along shortly, assuming he survived his trek to work in 15 degree weather on his bicycle this morning to remind us all that we must do something to pay off the existing bonds! So here’s my idea…lets do what everyone should do when they are in debt over their heads. Sell remaining assets and buckle down and pay it off. Continuing to plan and get involved in one mess after another would be like using a credit card to pay off your other credit card. Its not sustainable in the long term.