Lessons from Seattle part 3: Retail Development

January 9, 2012 1 Comment

Completing my series based on a trip I took to Seattle a few months ago, I conclude with retail development. (Previous posts looked at Airport Transit and Local Transit in Downtown Seattle.)

Because my time in Seattle was brief, I undoubtedly missed the vast majority that the city had to offer in terms of retail. I’m going to focus on a specific development, Pacific Place, with a few side notes as well.

I first noticed Pacific Place when I was eating dinner across the street one night. I was sitting on the patio and looked across the street, astounded that there was retail above the first floor on nearly every building. It was amazing because I am so used to retail being a ground floor aspect of buildings, with housing or offices above. What I didn’t know was that the “many” buildings I was looking at we’re actually one and that it was Pacific Place.

The shopping mall was designed to look like a number of buildings that had been built over time, and the major shops on the outer edge all had street facing entrances (as well as interior entrances). They acted almost like independent buildings from the street side, each with their own style as well.

From across the street, Pacific Place appears as multiple buildings, with retail and restaurants on all floors.

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Million Dollar Miracle

December 5, 2011 3 Comments

Yesterday I had the wonderful experience of seeing the original, 1947 verison of Miracle on 34th Street in the Million Dollar Theater — Sid Grauman’s original movie palace that is even 29 years older than the film.

In a scene from "Miracle on 34th Street," Kris Kringle tries to win over a doubting young girl.

Most of my black and white movie watching experience is from my days in film school and consists largely of analyzing things and learning the history of filmmaking at a deeper level than I ever really wanted. This was something completely different. When you hear someone speak of the magic of movies, this was the experience they’re talking about. This was the reminiscent of that first-day speech you hear in film school, before the classes, papers, and studies start, of the way movies bring people together in a dark room and yet take them far away to another city, another time, or another world. And even though it’s dark, somehow the experience is better when that room is a beautiful one.

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Christ and Urban Development

October 6, 2011 1 Comment

Of all the places to look for wisdom on urban development, I would never have thought to go to the Bible. I should have known better.

For one, I should have recognized that civilization in Biblical times had in fact progressed to a point where great cities (if not cities with skyscrapers and subways) did exist. Business was important, as was development and building. Temples, government buildings, public squares and more were an important part of city life 2000 years ago. Secondly, it makes sense that Jesus would have used examples of this city life in his teaching. He often used metaphors from the culture, religion, government and recreation of the day.

While sitting in church a few weeks ago, I heard one specific example in Luke 14. Jesus was using the metaphor of building to teach a lesson about following him, but I think it can also be used as great wisdom for development. Lessons learned following Jesus have apply to all areas of life.

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Flower Street Pedestrianism

July 1, 2011 Leave a comment

On a recent afternoon, I walked from South Park to Bunker Hill, nearly the entire length of Downtown Los Angeles, timing my walk from work to a certain apartment. On my walk back, I took Flower Street south. I began in between 2nd and 3rd, where Flower curves off of Hope to create it’s own line in the city’s grid. What I noticed was that Flower Street, through the length of Downtown, makes a great study in pedestrianism.

Begin in the north and you find yourself looking at possibly one of the worst pedestrian stretches of Downtown. In it’s favor, there ARE sidewalks, and there is a bus stop on the west side of the street. Other than that, however, this block in between the World Trade Center and the Bank of America Center greets ground-level pedestrians with thick concrete walls and bridges overhead, crowding you into a cave.

Flower Street, between 3rd and 4th, greets pedestrians with walls of concrete.

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