frey

Dix is huge in comparisson to central park. It's scale and the private parks of back yards still makes this ridiculous. Central park wasn't set asside, but left asside. It was land that was unbuildable at the time. Manhatten also benifeits from water bordering the city. Raleigh on the other hand is bordered by land and little towns it can annex. Even our downtown squares are not bordered by buildings of enough height to make them a true urban park.

What a craptastic idea. "Raleigh's central park" --ha. Central park is sorrounded by tall buildings that form a walled room. The heavily used central park is a haven for a city with no greenery. Raleigh on the other hand is sprawled out and every one has a "park" they don't use in their back yards. If they do use it, it is by their kids for only a decade or so. What about umstead or pullen or the other little parks. A park that big will be under used and just stupid. Using this land as a park is just wastefull and further fueling sprawl into "wilderness." You can not have both urban and country in your city ---or you end up with the cities we have shamefully developed (being the key word) over the last century. I think think the bigger issues are how to tie this into downtown in a way that will not detract, but enhance it. YAY TO PARKS ---in our backyards, in our cities--underutilized and fueling sprawl into the countryside which the park supporters also seem to want to protect.

The best reason I can come up for why retail and commerce has shifted away from the downtown, is that it is like many other cities in america. The car did it in. In the 70's leaders thought a facelift would help. So Main St was closed for a long period of time. This killed remaining businesses. To make matters worse, doctors and lawyers moved away for similar reasons (also fueled by our new adversion to downtown crime and percieved lack of parking (ha). Now banking regional/county offices and the left over textile industry corp offices, too. What is left is some lawyers, government, churches, and bums. There is also an issue of who has and does own the buildings and lots downtown. One large player is an equivilant to aslum lord and will not cater or sell for renovation/refurbishing prodjects. He has also let his properties decay. Some more reasons for the lack of return to downtown is the recent downturn of it's economy and general lag in design and planning (due to it's misled conservative ideals of small gov. and bad taste alike). As to the malls... Gaston Mall--the old one-- is on Cox Rd. It is the one in valley/depression (both economically and physically). The "new mall" was built in the 70's and has been renovated. I think Westgate(?) now owns it. It was "East(something) Mall." It has JC Penny, Sears, Belk, and Dillards as anchors. Maybe this has changed--I haven't been there in atleast 3 years.

It's sad how the talk of gastonia is all about chain stores and strip malls. Having grown up there, I can't say I didn't expect it. The sad thing is that the loray mill and downtown have not been picked up by renovations/refurbishing. Both have missed the wrecking balls. They both have potential to be gold mines. However, Gastonia has an obvious stigma that I don't see going away anytime soon. I know that I (like many I grew up with) will not be returning after college.