After my Saturday column about the probable demise of the Coffee Cup restaurant (“It’s just an old building sitting on pricey dirt”), I got this semi-rant from reader Ed Stone. I’m posting it with his permission.
What do you think? Is Stone on target? Is Charlotte’s destiny to become a characterless Atlanta wannabe?
(I have to disagree with his smear of vanilla, in the fourth paragraph, as though it is soulless and lacking in character. But that’s a topic for another day.)
It is the mission of our City Council and the Charlotte Center City Partners to turn Charlotte into Atlanta. As rapidly as possible, with minimal, insincere lip service to what is viewed as the commerce-blocking detritus of the past. Once you accept that perspective, you will have far fewer surprises and be better prepared to navigate the changes.
Just as council put a few million bucks into restoring a trolley so as to pretend some little link to history, just hang on and you’ll see them spend a few million to get some of today’s buses running routes and reconstructing a micro-dairy farm near Selwyn. With dollars, we can build some simulated-genuine-fake-old new stuff to look substantial.
Charlotte’s motto, in action, is “to seem, rather than to be.” We’ve torn down what we were, now we are bulldozing what we are. The goal is to be just another installation of a “chain” city, as cookie-cut as the next McDonald’s burger joint.
Cities are following the model of airports, and we’ll not see much difference among them, as our airports and cities are being rebuilt to function as standardized, vanilla, soulless, high-density conduits for passers-through and cash.
The Coffee Cup’s land tax value issue is just an egregious example of what every Mecklenburg homeowner is facing. Time to cash in, and let Chi Chi’s, Sak’s, Wal-Mart, Johnson and Wales, light rail, Bobcats, Panthers, baseball, a “stroll district.” NASCAR, NoDa, “South End” and the “no cul-de sac” ordinance, et al, have it. Tear-downs and high-density condos. Maximize the tax value per square foot. Oppose the “growth agenda” of council and you’re a pro-unemployment Luddite.
Quite a shame, as we are throwing away the single claim to competitive advantage and distinctiveness we could have as a city, in favor of being an Atlanta Jr. lookalike-wanna-be.
The world is not clamoring for another Atlanta, as far as I know.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Charlotte, the next "chain" city?
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54 comments:
I agree that Charlotte destroys everything old in town for some new shiny buildings. As a native I remember the old buildings that made up/downtown. its sad. as far a being Atlanta jr, why would you want that? and look , and ATL co owns the land, and is developing it. Thats the problem right there. They have no sense of CLT history, nor do they care. Making money off of our boom-town is what they care about.
I agree. I'm in college out of Charlotte, but am one of the few Charlotte natives. I would hate to see Charlotte become a new Atlanta. I would kill myself if I had to live in Atlanta. Charlotte is one of the few modern cities that still retains a hint of it's history, but that's fading slowly, if not rapidly. Sure Atlanta is filled with dense housing, but along with that goes gangs, thugs, drugs, and all the crap the majority of Atlanta idolizes. Charlotte should invest in creating a unique city. We need more high quality hotels, non-chain restraunts, and more members of the community participating in preserving our historic places of interest.
Down with the chains.
As long as you have vast amounts of suburbia you will always have chains flocking here. Cookie cutter stuff is what they feed on out in suburbia. They like it simple and bland.
Like it or not folks, we are a city of the future. If I want to see old and historic buildings, I will go to Boston or Philadelphia, where REAL history occurred. Charlotte has a couple revolutionary war stories, and a ton of renovated textile mills. What more do you want?
As for the Coffee Cup, in an ideal situation, Beazer lets the cup reopen in thsir new building, serving their trademark food in a much nicer and cleaner facility. If that doesn't work, the Coffee Cup proprieters move to a location further up Freedom Drive, Morehead, South Tryon, or another nearby location. If Coffee Cup disappears, customers can still partake of Price's Chicken Coop, South 21, Mert's, Mantis, or tons of other well established eateries in or around Uptown.
To make a dumpy non-descript building such a sacred cow is absurd folks. Many 'old' cities would gladly tear down a few of their old structures to bring in the people and development that Charlotte has been attracting. Some people may not want us to be the next Atlanta, but that sure beats being the next Detroit, Buffalo or Hartford.
Think people!
- Danimal
GO Danimal !!!!
NAILED IT !
I'm not so sure I would have said Charlotte was becoming "vanilla". I think a better way of putting it is to say that Charlotte is becoming "soul-less"
I don't know what your talking about, but Atlanta has more character, feels more eclectic, and actually ACTS like a city unlike Charlotte. Atlanta has a lot more older neighborhoods and embraces diversity much more than Charlotte. As a Southerner (who just happens to love cities), I would much rather live in Atlanta than Charlotte. I just started college at Georgia Tech. And to the other college student - you are young. Why wouldn't you want to live in a bigger, more exciting city? Charlotte is still too small, it lacks energy, and the nightlife is a joke.
Eclectic, unique places are around for a long time and are usually concentrated in older areas. Lets face it, Charlotte isn't that old, and it destroyed a lot of it's older buildings that usually house these kinds of places. "Historic Charlotte" was too small to begin with. You know, it takes time for a place to develop character. You think all these older neighborhoods looked the way they did 50 years ago? No - the trees were small, the houses were new, etc. It takes time to develop - now stop complaining.
The one thing I don't understand and what irks me the most about new development is that most of the time they do not put the trees along the road. They put them too far away so that when they grow larger, they don't go over the road, creating some of the character we all love. There should be some ordinance in the metro area that any development requires tree lined streets and trees planted right next to a major road (that way we can create more older areas like Dilworth and Myers Park).
Yes, plant smarter. Line the streets.The Charlotte Green party is trying to get the city arborist to plant smarter. One of the things they are trying to do is make it mandatory to plant equal amounts of male and female trees in new developments. Almost all of the developments in the past 20 years were planted with male only trees because they are less expensive and cleaner. Problem is that we have created a pollen nightmare in this town.
Tearing down the old buildings of Charlotte does not harm Charlotte's soul one bit. A cheaply constructed building built in the 1950's is not worth keeping. It's just an economic decision. As one poster mentioned, if we had buildings that dated to the Revolutionary War, then that is old enough and is worth preserving. Things that matter are killing off the great foliage that we have in Charlotte. We should force the developers to plant appropriate trees to compensate those that have to be removed due to new developments. We should encourage the city to further develop bike ways and greenways to enhance our lives. Open spaces connected by greenways and bike paths should be held in the public trust.
Nice parks, greenways and bike paths will be food for Charlotte's soul. Kindness, honesty and integrity being valued in our community will also be good for Charlotte's soul.
"Create older" areas? Now THAT's an oxymoron.
Well they were "created" you moron. They weren't always "old."
Bravo.
Well said.
If you don't like it, leave.
I am tired of everyone complaining about what Charlotte doesn't have or what the city is doing wrong. You sit back and complain, but do nothing to develop the city - and most of you don't even enjoy the activities/nightlife we do have, just complain about what's missing.
As far as history, Charlotte has very little and you are kidding yourself if you believe otherwise. Check out a place like Charleston SC or Boston MA if you want a slice from the history book. This is a new city and still developing no thanks to most of you who are complaining.
We are not the next Atlanta. You are resisting change, simple and clear. Pack it up and move if you aren't on board. Either get involved and make a difference or move to Idaho where nothing ever changes - then you might be content.
Actually, America is becoming one big chain store. If you threw a tent over us, and stuck up an Orange Julius stand every couple of miles, you'd have the world's largest shopping mall.
And what's wrong with that?
One hundred years from now activists will clamor to save history in buildings just as you are doing now- only the buildings will be those exact buildings you claim to be indicative of this new "chain-city" you so fondly have dubbed our beautiful town. We're making history.
Is anyone else irritated by the sanctimonious, very angry Anonymous person who thinks that name calling (Smarta$$, moron) is clever? He told me a week or two back that I should check police stats about uptown crime. Well, Mr. Angry Anonymous, I did, and that's why I asked if you felt safe uptown or in the park at 6th and Poplar at night. I don't care that he makes a lot of money, lives in a condo box, is the greenest, most ecologically "sensitive" (I hate that term) person in Charlotte. I lived in NYC for more than 30 years and loved it. Now I live in the suburbs and love it. Trees smell better than dumpsters. Maybe when AA grows up, he'll tire of the crowded box-living, sirens, crime and dirt of uptown. In the meantime, he ought to stop calling people names and think out an intelligent response. Whoever calls someone a name first has lost the argument.
Charlotte is a pretentious, cookie-cutter Chain City. Once they tore down the Masonic Temple, it was the kiss of death for uptown/downtown.
We are a post-industrial city with few decent links to the past. Charlotte never had an abundance of interesting architecture that often accompanied old buildings in places like Pittsburgh, Louisville and even Cleveland. Cotton mill owners weren't that into city beautiful movements.
That being said, the chain mentality has already won. Look at ANY new development in the last 10 years and you'll find the sorry template of Grocery store, nail salon, sandwich shop, cell phone outlet, ice cream parlor and maybe a coffeehouse. With the exception of the nail salon, they are all chains. For good or for ill, we like standardization. We like the predictability of new development. Go to Birkdale on a weekend and you'll see it writ large. Faux urbanism packaged in mass consumption and a mega security apparatus. Charlotte is the future.
A city is like an orchard. When trees (buildings) become blighted, diseased and unproductive they are replaced. Some trees (buildings, businesses) grow old and more productive. Think old growth wines.
And as for Charlotte it can only envy Atlanta. Where Atlantic Steel an environmental nightmare has been morphed into Atlantic Station. Where political debate from all spectrums occurs nightly over drinks at Manny's (Manuels Tavern). Where hotdogs, onion rings and frosted oranges are made living 50' and 60's pop art at the "V" Varsity. No Charlotte is not Atlanta.
Not just Charlotte, but most cities I have lived in suffer from this tear-down and rebuild. If there is a buck to be made by some developer, they won't hesitate to develop something. They call this "progress". What do they care, they don't live here. They just jet back to their mansion on the beach or in the mountains, far removed from the useless development they have made. I'm tired of all this "progress". Can't we just leave things alone for awhile and just live?
I moved from Charlotte to Memphis almost 2 years ago.
People always ask me to compare the two and I always give them the answer Memphis is an OLD city and Charlotte is a NEW city.
I have already contacted Beazer and if they plan to use the same design they are building in Memphis then I will be buying one and moveing back to Charlotte.
On with the progress to become a world class city and people need to stop compareing CLT to ATL because they are two totally different cities.... a better comparison would be Nashville but you have to remember Nashville is the home of country music and the state capital but if you start compareing the cities Charlotte comes out on top.
Heh: "Is Charlotte’s destiny to become a characterless Atlanta wannabe?"
I guess maybe, except the fact that Atlanta has character, unlike Charlotte, which used to but seems dead-set on eliminating any that remains...
Atlanta has history, whereas Charlotte tries as hard as possible to eliminate its history (specifically commercial architectural history) at every opportunity.
Atlanta has culture and minority empowerment and a vital and cosmopolitan economy, whereas Charlotte seems perfectly content being comprised mostly of upper-middle-class white yuppies and catering to that class's every dull whim.
Oh, and of course, the recurring complaint of "we're becoming Atlanta" couldn't be more off the mark here - y'all seem to be implying that cookie-cutter chain store suburban culture is what makes Atlanta what it is... How's that for delusions (aspirations?) of grandeur?
O, but Charlotte is a "new" city, right? It's ONLY 250 years old or so...
Many cities have successfully reconciled their history with their growth and future. Growth does not require wholesale destruction, and the destruction done to Charlotte has not been primarily the work of profit-seeking developers or residents, but of paternalistic planners and bureaucrats.
Is anyone else irritated by the sanctimonious, very angry Anonymous person:
You kill me !
"Whoever calls someone a name first has lost the argument" you say.
You just stated "Charlotte is a pretentious, cookie-cutter Chain City"
Sounds like you just called our entire city a "name" first.
You deserve a "Smarta$$, moron" for that one !! Or maybe just "dumba$$"
Maybe when AA grows up, he'll tire of the crowded box-living, sirens, crime and dirt of uptown.
Uh, Honey I am grown up, 37 to be exact and I've done my time in the Burbs. It blows. I am back in the city and love it. Going on four years uptown and LOVE IT. Dirt ?You have got to be kidding ? Uptown is no dirtier than the Burbs, at least in Charlotte.
"I asked if you felt safe uptown or in the park at 6th and Poplar at night."
I wouldn't go into ANY park at night these days. Not even one way out in the Burbs. If you think you are safer there, guess again. At least in the city I have police on foot and bicycle patrolling constantly. Out in the Burbs you are lucky if you see one in a car once a night. Besides, the criminals aren't stupid. They go to where the pickings are easiest, the Burbs. Fewer police, fewer people out walking to witness anything and easy access to first floor homes for break ins.
Truth hurts baby. Don't throw that "I lived in NY crap on me either. I lived their for 20 years myself. That doesn't make us any smarter than anyone else. That attitude is why Southerners hate Northerners.
AAARGH. Someone did it. He went and used the "world class city" cliche. Normally, that would make me run away screaming, but I'll try to get a grip.
Just out of curiosity, at what age is a building officially old enough to be worth saving? And who gets to define which ones are attractive and which ones are dumpy, old eyesores?
Urban vitality stems from a delicate balance between density and variety. If you bulldoze the variety just to build density, you end up with a very boring, dense suburb. The fact that it happens to be close to downtown makes it not one bit less boring.
Uh, HELLO. Go to any city, new or old, small or large, and you will see chains. Oh well!
I was going to let Angry Anon's incorrect statements about Uptown crime slide, but there is a reason he sees so many police around his home and suburbanites don't.
Taking the two minutes needed to verify claims that Uptown is safer than the burbs, I checked the CMPD websites crime mapping tool.
For the month of June within 1/2 mile radius of the following addresses:
Trade/Tryon: 230 calls for service. (Details below.)
Center of Highland Creek which has about the same population as Uptown: 15-20 calls(it is a little tricky to count because the neighborhood is bigger, so it was more than 1/2 mile radius.)
My house: 8 calls
Also, the types of crimes reported are much less severe. Here's what uptown looked like this past June.
1/2 Mile Radius of Trade/Tryon
Filter Criteria: from 5/31/2006 to 6/30/2006
Incident Type Count
Larceny from Auto 37
Non-aggravated Assault 28
Larceny-Other 22
Other Criminal Charge 21
Auto Theft 18
Hit and Run 14
Sex Offense-Other 13
Fraud 11
Vandalism 10
Other Non-criminal Incident 8
Strong Arm Robbery 8
Larceny-Shoplifting 6
Larceny from Building 4
Missing Person-Age 16 and Over 4
Rape 4
Aggravated Assault-Gun 3
Commercial Burglary 3
Aggravated Assault-Knife 2
Aggravated Assault-Other Weapon 2
Disorderly Conduct 2
Forgery 2
Residential Burglary 2
Trespass 2
Aggravated Assault-Fists,Feet, etc. 1
Driving While Impaired 1
Larceny-Pocket Picking 1
Missing Person-Under Age 16 1
Grand Total 230
Comon', H.C. is half in Caburrus County. Why don't you compair uptown with a small town in Idaho while you are at it ?
I am talking about your typical "Charlotte" suburbs. Albermarle, Independence, South Park, Providence, Ballantyne, Steele, Creek, etc., etc., etc.
What's next ? Are you going to compair uptown stats to Mint Hill ?
Here are the June stats for the Steele Creek area down by Carrowinds. That's right on the border of the city limits. Can't get much further out and still be in the city. Should feel safe out there, right ? Guess again.
These stats are for the month of June and for year to date. Remember, we still have four more months of crime to go. Think your cars are safer in the burbs than in the downtown ? Check out the larceny from auto. Armed robbery !!!
We could go on and on. You like the burbs, good for you. I like the pace of the city, good for me.
My time is much more valuable to me than to spend any more of it on this.
Have a great day, seriously.
Here's the stats:
Steele Creek
Murder: June: 0 year to date: 4
Rape: June: 3 year to date: 20
Robbery:
Strong armed: June: 6 year to date: 32
Armed: June: 21 year to date: 131
Aggravated assault: June: 34 year to date: 202
Burglary:
Residential: June: 38 year to date: 334
Commercial: June: 34 year to date: 215
Larceny:
Auto: June: 223 year to date: 1104
Bike: June: 4 year to date: 9
Shoplift: June: 21 year to date: 140
Others: June: 108 year to date: 658
Vehicle theft: June: 53 year to date: 392
Arson: June: 3 year to date: 28
Forgot to post uptowns stats as well:
Murder: June: 0 year to date: 2
Rape: June: 5 year to date: 19
Robbery:
Strong armed: June: 3 year to date: 31
Armed: June: 3 year to date: 45
Aggravated assault: June: 6 year to date: 62
Burglary:
Residential: June: 27 year to date: 198
Commercial: June: 15 year to date: 119
Larceny:
Auto: June: 145 year to date: 696
Bike: June: 0 year to date: 5
Shoplift: June: 8 year to date: 56
Others: June: 65 year to date: 462
Vehicle theft: June: 40 year to date: 271
Arson: June: 0 year to date: 13
Vanilla implies a flavor. Charlotte is more like luke-warm water.
Like pee
I moved from Charlotte to Atlanta six months ago and would never go back. Charlotte felt like a bland, static, wanna-be little town that would not pass up an opportunity to shreik "look how great I am!" It's less of a city than a financial district. If Charlotte wants to move in a nice direction, it should seek to emulate the points of Atlanta's success. Atlanta is much more cosmopolitan, progressive, diverse, dynamic, cultural, and lively. Atlanta does not spend its time worrying about which city it would like to model itself after. Atlanta has a very diverse business community, functioning mass transit, and a "world-class" feel. It's international. And its many neighborhoods—Virginia Highland, Buckhead, Inman Park, Midtown, Grant Park, and others—let you feel like you're in a different city whenever you like. Charlotte has shown signs of moving in the right direction, but small things like bad roads, high taxes, a dysfunctional government, and a bloated school system plague the Queen City. Charlotte and Charlotteans need to get over their inferiority-to-Atlanta complex and stop worrying about being the "next Atlanta". Instead, they need to start focusing on problems within North Carolina that impede the city's development. Until it does, the city will continue to feel like a white bankers' town (and I'm white myself), where people are constantly congratulating themselves because they believe that by living in Charlotte they've made it to the peak of what life has to offer.
Atlanta has more Waffle Houses per square foot than any other place in America. Thank you for the comparison, but I'll stay in Charlotte thank you.
I would like to say how INCREDIBLY tired I am of the Charlotte/Atlanta comparisons. I have lived in each of the cities for over 10 years a piece, and BOTH of them are unique in their own way. Both of the cities can claim beautiful old neighborhoods, tree-lined streets and unique non-chain restraunts and attractions. Both of them can also claim barren suburbs, big box retail, and cookie-cutter housing developments. The last time I checked none of those things were unique to either Atlanta or Charlotte. So please, if you are unhappy about the demise of the Coffee Cup and other unique establishments do something about it! Ranting inanely about Atlanta this, or Atlanta that is a weak argument. Atlanta certainly has flaws (just as Charlotte does), but I will challenge anyone to call Atlanta a "chain city" after walking around the neighborhoods of East Atlanta, Little 5 points, Virginia-Highlands, Druid Hills, Decatur, Edgewood, Grant Park, Midtown, Piedmont park, etc. (I could go on and on). Do chains exist in Atlanta? Yes. Do they also exist in Charlotte. Yes. I would hate to see the conclusions someone might draw about Charlotte based solely on Independence Boulevard or all of the chains around South Park (Cheesecake Factory, etc). There are so many more winderful things about the city that would be missed. In short, don't judge a city by its chains or suburbs--all cities have them!
The 'good ole days' crowd faces some obstacles.
1) The bulk of the money (and therefore influence) is being earned by transplants from other parts of the country. They have have no sense of history with Charlotte, and seek creature comforts of Starbucks over dilapidated Coffee Cups.
2) The powers at be (like McCrory) do not really care about old buildings. They care about shiny new ones. They may pay some lip service to the good ole days, but new, expensive condos and office buildings not only look nicer, but generate more tax revenue.
But all is not lost.
If you want to preserve the coffee cup and such, just get you checkbook out and buy it. I am sure for $1M or so, Beazer would sell it to you.
If you really believed any of this, you would pony up your own dough and save these old buildings.
Until then, you are just ranting from a soapbox.
I am a Charlotte native and although I no longer live there, I can't remember much that has been torn down that was really worth saving. Maybe the old Independence Building at The Square and then only because it was the first steel-framed "skyscraper" (all 12 stories or so of it)in North Carolina. So, I'm happy about all the growth and change and I sometimes wonder if the dismay about the loss of old buildings is also dismay over the loss of a cultural identity that is now blended with so many others.
Regarding Atlanta where I have also lived, there is greater diversity, cultural offerings and "buzz" (at least inside the Perimeter)but I think that's to be expected from a metro area more than double Charlotte's size. In many ways they are very similar though both places would be loathe to admit that. They both have high aspirations, beautiful in-town neighborhoods, powerful businesses and angst over traffic, an unavoidable by-product of growth unless everyone is willing to trade in their cars and use bikes or ride trains/buses. The real difference is an accident of geography that propelled Atlanta forward, even though Charlotte is the much older city.
"Politicians, ugly buildings and wh0res all get respectable if they last long enough." Noah Cross (John Huston) - Chinatown
To finish off the beating of the dead horse...
I used Highland Creek compared to Uptown proper - the area within 277 - which cover about the same square miles with about the same population.
The fact that HC is completely suburban and Uptown proper is completely urban was exactly the point. (Also, only a small section, not half, of HC is in Cabarrus and the relative distance to Uptown is about the same as Steele Creek.)
Angry Anon quoted statistics that compare the entire Steele Creek Division of CMPD with the Central Division of CMPD. Not the neighborhood of Steele Creek to Uptown proper.
Steele Creek Division covers 100 sq miles.
Central Division covers 5.8. About half of the Central Division is Dilworth - not Uptown.
Per the 2000 census maps on charmeck.org the Steele Creek division also appears to have at least twice the population of the Central division. Considdering all the growth since then, it is probably more.
I enjoy Uptown tremendously, but the suburbs are much safer places to live - no matter how you slice and dice the numbers.
On the actual topic of this thread...
Charlotte is not, and will not be, Atlanta.
We can't be Atlanta because...
1. We can't build roads. Atlanta true highways. Charlotte doesn't.
2. We have that giant sucking sound of South Carolina pulling development away from Charlotte because of lower taxes.
3. Our city and county governments will go bankrupt on things like light rail design errors and giveaways to billionaires long before Charlotte actually grows to Atlanta's size.
(For those who think I am always negative and complaining, this was an example of sarcasm.)
Charlotte is not Atlanta for a lot of very good reasons as well.
1. Traffic is NOT that bad here.
2. Housing is much cheaper here. (Uptown condos excluded.)
3. Our public utilities are also better from what I've read.
Rick,
If we are beating the horse you might as well add the hundreds of thousands who work in uptown.
They are here for approximately 10 hours a day. If most people are awake for aproximately 16 hours each day then I guess it's fair to say that the hundreds of thousands that flock to uptown daily spend more time awake in uptown then they do in their Burb neighborhoods.
Figuratively speaking it makes the amount of people uptown at least 20 times larger than Highland Creek for the most part of the day.
Now the numbers don't look so bad.
I've been uptown for almost 4 years. Not one incident. But I am pretty street smart. I think you have got to be on your toes anywhere you live these days.
I am glad you love the burbs. Enjoy.
Rick, do I know you ?
Do you live in Highland Creek ? Visit Vancouver this past June ?
Thanks. Same to you.
Just remember, this whole discussion got started talking about where people choose to LIVE not WORK.
I enjoy the burbs and Uptown. In fact I'll be there in about 20 minutes from my far out suburb.
To the other anon: Doubtful, I was not in Vancouver this past summer nor do I live in Highland Creek
Amen! Charlotte as a city seems to have no confidence in itself. It wants to be Atlanta...or anywhere else...that is not Charlotte. Almost as if it's afraid to be itself for fear of failing as a city. Their menality seems to be that if they copy another city, like Atlanta, then they'll succeed like Atlanta.
It comes down to Charlotte just doesn't understand their history therefore they don't understand who they are.
For lack of a better comparison, I always thought of Atlanta as a slut and Charlotte as a tease. Atlanta will do anything and take anything to hep it become a moajr league city (though it has nothing on new York or Chicago). harlotte will say it wants to do everything to be a major city, then change it's mind at the last second in order to keep its perceived 'purity'.
Any city is what you make of it. I live in Dilworth and stay within the center city. For me Charlotte is a great walkable and progressive city. Of course I am single gay guy so it all depends on your personal situation. If I was part of a traditional family I would probably live in Union and go to all the chains I studiously avoid in favor of Berrybrook Farm and 300 East and Creation and the many other unique places Charlotte has. Atlanta has the same features just more of it and they can keep it, along with migraine inducing traffic. I never have to go beyond surface streets for my daily routine!
The term to use is "generica". It well describes how every city looks like every other.
There's a reason that there aren't many historic buildings in Charlotte that have been conveted to modern usage: there never WERE many historic buildings in Charlotte, let alone many thouat could be conveted to modern usage. We are, after all, talking about a place that was basically just a village for most of the 19th century, and even in 1900 had a population roughtly the size of Mint Hill today!
Steele Creek was probably chosen because Latino gang crime has exploded there the past few years (i.e., not exactly representative). Property values there are also hurt because of the Vilma Leake effect/Olympic High, which brings in more renters and lower income folks - and thus more crime.
Steele Creek was only chosen because I used to live there, then Ballantyne, now uptown.
It was also a good 8-10 miles from uptown.
That was the only reason. Go ahead and check the stats on another area for yourself.
I have to laugh at Charlotte. I read this blog and then I see the article about Raleigh's plans for its downtown, which of course The Observer HAS TO sum up with the following silly comparison (to prove that Charlotte is the superior place). Charlotte, your civic inferiority is embarassing!
How Raleigh and Charlotte Compare
FEATURE RALEIGH CHARLOTTE
Buildings 10 stories or more 23 41
Tallest building 32 floors* 60 floors (BofA)
Retail space 1.5 million sq. ft. 1.1 million sq. ft
Retail vacancy rate 15 percent 5 percent.
Office space 6 million sq. ft. 14.4 million sq. ft.
Downtown residents 7,140 11,500
Hotel Rooms 621 3,773
Convention center 500,000 sq. ft.* 405,000 sq. ft.
I'd take cities that REALLY have soul over Charlotte anyday, like Charleston, Asheville, Columbia, Winston-Salem, Greenville (SC), or Wilmington.
^ i agree. it's not that i don't like Charlotte, it has many great things going for it (Manifest, South End,) but too much of Uptown has been modeled as a suburban housewife's ideal downtown. it's like they built "Big City, USA" for a theme park, and too many well built, quality buildings were destroyed to "make history."
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