Friday Freedom

Today I upgraded to 10.5 Leopard, finished some work, did some laundry, cleaned up, and wrote this blog. Yes, that's right. I did nothing today and it was great!

What to write about? Yesterday, I was thinking about some of the reasons why people are leaving Ohio. Certainly our state is a nice place - it's cheap, there's fresh food in the summer and some snow in the winter. The people are generally friendly and it's a pretty good place to raise a family - what do people dislike?

Well, as a twentysomething here, I'm thinking about where I'll get a job and though my graduate school degree choice will help me stay in Ohio, I still might not have a choice. In order to stay, we need jobs and you must remember, young people need jobs because they're paying more than ever for college - one of the largest factors working to increase inflation in the US and certainly in Ohio.

ALL WE WANT ARE JOBS AND SOME WALKABLE, SAFE PLACES!
Second, and related to planning, there really aren't a lot of walkable places and young people seem to like dense, walkable places as opposed to the suburbia they grew up in. People ask me, would I ever move back to my hometown, Dayton, Ohio and the answer is always "no" because there are no jobs and it is so alien a place from the wealthy, diverse, and walkable Columbus, Ohio I am familiar with. Columbus is great becasue there is more choice in where you shop, you eat, you find entertainment, and the best part is that you could decide to take it all in on foot or with the help of the bus system. It is civilization and it is ours.

EASTON - SHRINE TO COMMERCE
One of the best (or worst) parts of Columbus is Easton Town Center. Easton is a fake small town made up of top 100 retailers, restaurants, and "Snow Village" like street-scapes, storefronts, public spaces and fountains. I love it and I hate it. It's fun, it's cool, it's different but it is a mall just the same. Easton is the definitive shrine to commerce, patrolled by security and devoid of graffiti. Parking, aided by two 1,000 space parking structures, is difficult during peak times but once you've parked, you can walk throughout the serene landscape and enjoy - even perhaps without buying anything.

THE GREENE - A MINI EASTON
When I heard someone was building a new mall in Dayton, I freaked. There are too many malls in Dayton, why the hell would someone finance more retail in a place like that. Then I heard it was going to be a copy of Easton. Some said no one would like it but it has actually been a great hit from what I've heard and I'm not surprised. It's walkable and it has choices, new choices. Unfortunately, these "choices" are just new and different brands making their way to Dayton from the hundred-plus other markets they've already entered. The reasons why they are successful are that they're different, they're creative, they give people what they want and this is verified by their success and of course, this kills local businesses and ships income to corporate offices in New York, Chicago, and California.

I want to shop at the entrepreneur's business and eat at the local food place - and in Columbus, I can. When I'm in Dayton or other places, it's more difficult. Why? Because good places are really hard to find in Dayton and some of them are either too expensive or down-right horrible and I guess people there can't tell the difference. This gives you a bad rap and makes people like me think you are not living in "civilization." The entrepreneurial spirit is a great thing and we'll need more of it if Ohio is ever going to come back from it's current decline. Creativity and ingenuity is what made our state an industrial powerhouse and now we are in decline. Something must be done and it starts with entrepreneurs and it can't succeed without solid planning from planning professionals.

Planners need to create walkable places that are friendly to entrepreneurs. Do this and there will be jobs, walkable places and Ohio's money will stay in Ohio! Cities need to think outside the (big) box (store model) and consider themselves players in the local marketplace. When companies go out of business and close their doors, the city is left holding the bag and citizens are left with the burden. Governments need to take steps move us back toward a more economically and environmentally sustainable model toward crafting retail experiences. We need downtowns, parks, fountains, plazas, etc. To achieve this, we need lawmakers and we need local government to cooperate or MSA regional governments. Something has to change because no one will want to live in horrible inner-cities ensnared by endless suburbia. How could have our lawmakers allowed this to happen?