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Greedo

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Posts posted by Greedo

  1. As abberations such as this continue to water down the urbanism, it becomes an increasingly difficult place for humane habitat.
    Monstrous unwalkable hills make the urbanism of Grand Rapids difficult for humane habitat. Let's start flattening the hills. Bulldoze GR they way they did Manhattan.

    The grades are no excuse, particularly when one of the most urban places in America, San Francisco, actually has real grades that people actually navigate daily.

    San Francisco is awesome except for the hills, and the only people seen walking up them are the idiot tourists who want to see the "Worlds Crookedest Street" or don't know how to get a bus pass. And as one of those idiots, I speak from first hand experience. Otherwise, everyone who lives on those hills drives.

    Oh yeah, and SF doesn't get freezing rain in sheets like we do. Michigan Ave in January is a deathtrap.

  2. they are basing everything on the automobile dominated culture of America, there is absolutely no attempt made to deal with pedestrians.

    Gotta be honest, I really don't see many pedestrians on Michigan Hill ever. It's a steep, pedestrian unfriendly grade, so I don't see why they should make a building pedestrian friendly when there aren't any to appease.

    If they really wanted to be wise, they could make a dedicated area for city busses to pick up and drop off Spectrum employees.

  3. Very modern. I'm not sure if it's art, but I like it.

    If that is the final design of the hospital building, I would agree that it serves as a blank slate meant to direct the viewer's attention, to the bridge, and upwards to higher altitudes, as if reaching for the sky. Perhaps it represents hope for the unfortunate experiences for the children inside the hospital.

    Whatever it means, it definitely diminishes the imposing cliff-like feeling that a 14-story building on top of a hill creates. Plus, it looks like a piece of chalk preparing to write on a blackboard.

    As far as I'm concerned, if they're going to build a skywalk (and schmobvs, you know they will), do it with some panache. I quote Dr. Emmit Brown, "Marty, the way I see it, if you're going to build a time machine, why not do it with some style."

    Imagine this poking up from the Plymouth neighborhood. Awesome.

  4. Celebrity architects and artists have a knack for going over-budget, especially with large, challenging projects and most especially the ones that require new engineering methods.

    And everybody complains--public officials, taxpayers, armchair city planners--that is, until the finished product brings in millions of tourists and all of their money.

    I'm just saying, you hire a name for a reason.

  5. It seems that we are expecting to be able to do more with The River then what is possible just because other cities are doing it. Every river is different.

    Agreed. The area North of the Fish Ladder is some of the best areas of redevelopment. The dam there makes the river more like a big pond--calm and serene.

    But it's not narrow like the rivers in Chicago, San Antonio or Providence. The Grand is a MAJOR river, a glacial tributary, so it's W I D E in some spots causing the banks to be pretty isolated from each other, especially north of 196.

    I think there is great opportunity to build at least two great neighborhoods up there, more shops, bars, parks, and tying the banks together with more fun/interesting pedestrian access and crossings. Maybe a bridge with a platform in the center for people to gather?

    I would still like to see a Calatrava bridge somewhere in that area.

  6. Meijer has one direction, the same direction it has always had, to offer the best deal on absolutely everything. It's the model that Fred created and is the envy of every big-box retailer. Additionally, Meijer is squeezing better profit margins out of revenues than both Target and Wal-Mart.

    Fred's influence on the company is everpresent. I hear he still keeps office hours daily, and his understanding of the retail industry is revered nationwide, but the responsibilities of day-to-day company mangement (real estate purchase, store design, product lines) belongs to Hank and Doug, the Pres and the EVP's.

  7. If you think Meijer's strategy is to work for failure, you are completely insane.

    In the competitive landscape of big-box retail, with razor-thin margins, you don't try to fail, you try to squeeze as much cash out of each store as possible. You only replace stores when it starts affecting sales, or the profits allow it.

    I just think the company is very expansion-minded, which makes them slower to refurbish current stores.

  8. It's the same produce. It's the presentation that sucks. Put some good lights, some clean signage and clean, wide aisles and it makes a HUGE difference in how the products look.

    Point-of-purchase marketing people! It the final leg in affecting consumer behavior.

  9. I was at the Alpine Meijer last summer and have to say it is a dump. Quickly approaching scary, as in 28th/Kalamazoo scary.

    I really enjoy the new building layouts--faux parquet floors, bright lighting, pharmacy near the front, lobby retail--it's smart and makes a better buying experience.

    I hope they reinvest in that store, it's so close to the Corporate HQ, it seems you would want to showcase the goods as well as possible. Plus go tet-a-tet with the enemy.

  10. so are they going to finish it off with the fountain or just clean up the landscape?

    they're rethinking the fountain part of the sculpture and cleaning it up. since the big issues is water flowing into the River (can't really understand that, but whatevs), the city will build a cistern at the bottom of the sculpture, and the water will be recycled back into the piece.

    I heard the goal was to have this working for the Otterness exhibition Meijer Gardens is putting on, but I'm not sure it'll be done. There's a lot of engineering that will be needed to convert it into a water-recycling fountain.

    It's really not that impressive just sitting there dry, but I imagine with the water cascading down the layers looks pretty awesome.

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