New Haven Independent

Posted by: Esbe | January 19, 2006 4:16 PM

Wouldn't it be great if the consultants would post online at least the "past" and "future" parts of their presentation posters? That would greatly broaden the converstation. (One can see the "present" all too well at maps.google.com.)

As for jobs for folks who live in the neighborhood, that is just plain a hard problem. Manufacturing firms aren't going to move in, end of story, and everyone would veto the kind of large "big-box" retail that would create entry-level retail/service jobs. Research firms do hire a limited number of clerical and technical workers and they do grow the regional economy generally. And in the modern world, unfortunately, few people actually live and work in the same neighborhood. But I would love to hear suggestions for what alternatives might work.

Posted by: bo | January 20, 2006 2:24 PM

The only important issue here is that the Cancer Center be approved. Then, the whole corridor would be developed in a beautiful way. Keeping the Cancer Center from being developed is holding thousands of people hostage, preventing them from getting good jobs and feeding themselves. Opposing the Cancer Center is akin to murder.

Posted by: Andy | January 20, 2006 2:38 PM

The New Haven Oral History Project created an online exhibit about Urban Renewal in New Haven that has some archival pictures of the Oak Street neighborhood before it was knocked down. It also includes audio excerpts of interviews with former neighborhood residents. Check out www.modelcity.org .

Posted by: Esbe | January 20, 2006 4:01 PM

"Andy", the modelcity site is very cool. It makes one worry about the prospects for "do-gooding" transformation of the city, but I hope we still try.

Off-topic, wouldn't it also be great if we could have "threaded" comments on this site, so we could have more of a conversation?

Posted by: Andy | January 20, 2006 4:12 PM

ESBE, I agree the the urban renewal experience demonstrates the need for caution, but doesn't mean we should abandon hope -- or big ideas -- for improving our city. Our very own Paul Bass points out that "Dreamers don't screw up any more than unimaginative bureaucrats do, anyway." www.newhavenadvocate.com/gbase/News/content.html?oid=oid:71263

Posted by: nfjanette | January 23, 2006 12:18 AM

Similarly, shorter blocks and synchronized traffic lights will have a calming effect on the traffic that now zips down the stretch at 50 miles per hour or faster.
Thanks for nothing. That road is a major connector and should be kept that way. It's bad enough that the mayor allowed Pfizer to ruin the potential connection under the "air rights" garage by building on that block (rather than one block further west).

What is this pie-in-the-sky idea that linking two troubled neighborhoods is going to make one nice big happy place to live? Exactly what data is this pipe dream based upon? I believe some streets were quite deliberately blocked off to stop drive-through drug dealing.

BTW, more than one person who lived in the demolished area has told me that the area was indeed a filthy slum that was past its glory days as a bastion of Jewish life in New Haven.

Posted by: Daniel Sumrall | January 23, 2006 8:32 AM

NFJanette, even if "more than one" person told you "the area was indeed a filthy slum" does that mean it shouldn't be revitalized? Nothing says "Hey, poor people--F@ck you" like forced mass evacuation and the the refusal to rebuild and invest. It's remarkable how static-minded many NewHaveners are.

Right now the "corridor" is a scar. Personally I don't want to see it developed into a commerical (or hospital) zone. It would be a great place to build a People's Park, a modern day companion to the Green. Revamping the housing around the area, adding in a small amount of non-formula shops, and breaking up the god-awful speeding with stopsigns would do alot to create a sense of calm and civic pride in an area in desperate need of it.

But, I doubt anyone will back this notion. Instead, Alder Shah & his puppeteer Mayor DeStefano will dangle the "Rte 34 corridor" notion in front of the populace in order to get us to back any and all YNHH designs for the area. It's sad that we live in a city that doesn't express our collective will but tells us what it thinks is good for us.

Posted by: nfjanette | January 23, 2006 9:14 PM

Daniel, you've tried to set yourself up as an advocate for the "poor people" of that area. It seems reasonable to ask if your opinions represent a position based upon extensive interviews with the residents?

The corridor is not a scar; what was there was a scar, despite the current misty-eyed attempts to rewrite history. One only need look to each side of the current swath to see how things had been - although I am told it was actually even worse. It already is somewhat of a linear park - a nice wide stretch of grass in some places. I would be in favor of keeping at least some of it in that condition. Any proposed building should be weighed against the value of the open space.

The "god-awful speeding" you refer to is already broken up with multiple traffic signals. I agree that many drivers in New Haven flaunt the speed limits on that road and others; it's a serious danger that the police should take on with traffic enforcement (which does not exist as far as I can see). That road, however, is not a local road, it is an express connection to the BLVD and Rt 34, and should remain that way. Good connections to the 'burbs bring people into the city, which is a good thing. There is no need - zero - for that road (on each side) to be a local road, because there are already numerous roads available.

Let's face it, the sense of "a sense of calm and civic pride" you desire for the residents of those area will only be provided by employment opportunities to create income for them. Money is power, everything else is just talk. If the proposed development of that sector can bring such jobs for local residents, or big tax dollars, we should all support it.

Posted by: Daniel Sumrall | January 23, 2006 11:06 PM

NFJANETTE--How often has DeStefano and his alder cronies given away land & taxes for the sake of development only to have it all come to naught? Too often, I should think, just talk to all the winchester workers.

You're right to assert that employment will bring the strongest sense of belonging and ownership to our fellow citizens and we should support it, but we needn't go begging for scraps or allow businesses to run us over in order to do so.

And speaking of run over--few in this city know how to drive a car in a manner that isn't life-threating to pedestrians, cyclists, or other motorists. Too many NewHaveners are addicted to their cars and speed. How can you exprect anyone to enjoy open green spaces when their afraid to cross the street? The police are only part of the answer to this question.

But this is all a tangent. NFJANETTE, I only wanted to bring up the fact (and I probably didn't do this that well) there's been a lot of talk from the city administration for quite some time about developing this so-called corridor and nothing's been done. In the midst of feetdragging on the administration's part, community groups like the Urban Design League have decided to take action and foster responsible development that refuses to be beholden to the monied.

Money isn't power; money is just an excuse. Money is just another form of violence, a way to avoid difficult decisions and slow, deliberate reasoning that benefits the many over the long term.

I apologize if it sounded like I was trying to rewrite history such wasn't my intent; I just don't think erasure of people or places is the solution.