Longitudinal Slum

Nebraska's I-80 Wish List

The Nebraska Innovation Zone Commission is looking for input on the future of the I-80 corridor between Lincoln and Omaha. A brief survey is online here.

People In Lincoln NE Don't Deserve Nice Things

Well it's hardly worth being compared to Central Park; Clark Enersen Partners and Olsson Associates hardly compare to Olmsted and Vaux. And an open space located at the confluence of a university campus, a residential neighborhood, and the tired outskirts of a struggling downtown will hardly have the same impact and importance Central Park plays for its dense urban surroundings. But a token amount of greenspace is still greenspace. Important probably more so as a piece of urban infrastructure (flood control), than a park (Lincolnites don't know what to do with parks), it is nevertheless a significant step toward making Lincoln a better place to live. The hokey touches such as "walls may be imprinted with quotes from Nebraska authors. Walking paths may be imprinted with raccoon footprints" are a bit much, as are the elements from the park designer kit-of-parts (amphitheater, a fountain jet, water slide, a signature fountain, and children holding balloons...), but if it works to coax Lincolnites out of their homes so be it. The project is one of the 2015 Vision Group's 'pillars' to a better future.

The 2015 Vision Group should consider adding an 11th pillar: Get the rest of the city to pull its head out of its ultra-conservative ass. Based on the comments to this story in the Journal Star, you would get the impression that the majority of Lincolnites are primarily concerned with protecting their tax money from a Liberal conspiracy to improve the city:

"How 'bout some tax relief not tax increase? "

" I consider myself somewhat liberal but this this is just another white elephant for the taxpayers to pay for... I for one don't want to give another penny to the pipe dreams of developers who will get filty rich on these projects. "

" whats the crime rate in this neighborhood, what happens after the day people leave and night falls I question the money and location"

" maybe we could do some whitewater rafting and snowsking on the slopes..........cmon, it's a slo flo creek and is not a feasible recreational site.......is this a dream and vision by a delusionary corn-fed group of wanna-be's?....take a deep breath and wake up from your fantasy land ramblings........just makes me shake my head and wonder what the heck they are drinking........creek water would be my guess, and it is not from the fountain of youth........ "

" This boondoggle should be renamed "Transient Heaven", because that's who will ifest it. We'll need lots of vounteers to clean Transient Heaven, just like all the other parks."

" Sounds like a good idea but I don't know if I'd want to walk in that area alone. I hope it doesn't end up nasty because of the nasty area around there. "

Lincolnites also fear minorities and the poor. Regardless, a step in the right direction. If handled properly it has the potential, as implied by 2015 Vision member Rich Bailey, to be a catalyst for development surrounding the park. Which it needs, otherwise the park will be underused (except by the poor and transients), as Lincolnites aren't accustomed to going to the park and feeling at ease in their own skin.

Plans unveiled for 'Lincoln's central park' [Lincoln Journal Star]

Lincolnites Tired of Living in Prairie Town

A story in the Lincoln Journal Star featuring reservations about a 22 story building proposed for Lincoln's beige downtown set off a fury of pro-development comments from Lincolnites, complete with New York cynicism, tired of living in a "prairie town". University Towers resident Kim Sturzenegger complains the proposed tower will block the view from her 12th story apartment window with a big beige wall (they love beige in Lincoln) that will be "a monumental mistake". Dick Quinn, who also has a view from University Towers is concerned about the "sheer mass of the tower".

Lincolnites, who tend to balk at new development (if it threatens to impact their taxes), must be tired of being Omaha's bitch, because they attacked the "anti-progress" crowd (or those concerned about views from their apartments) as NIMBY's and whiners. At 90 comments and counting this is a good view into the heart of a community as it struggles to transform from a prairie town into a city, complete with the some of the messiness that comes with city living.

jackson at 1:32 pm says it best: "Hey, if you run around with corn cobs on your head, the rest of the country will always think of lincoln as a cow town or a town full of bumkins."

Some say proposed high-rise too high [Lincoln Journal Star]

Planners Kick-Off I-80 Corridor Study

Led by Omaha's HDR, the team "promised not to back away from possible controversy and conflict."

I-80 corridor study under way [Omaha World Herald]
previously
Nebraskans Look To Develop The Interstate Strip [Longitudinal Slum]

Nebraskans Look To Develop The Interstate Strip

Wakey Wakey.

A long summer break comes to a close, driven more so by a drawn out and complicated move to the suburbs than anything else. Now to start again fresh. We'll see if this gets any easier, like big-boxes were.

A good place to start is Lincoln, Nebraska. It's a fun place to keep track of - we know it well, and car crashes are difficult to look away from. Lincoln and Omaha are separated by 50 or 60 miles, linked by a stretch of Interstate 80. For the most part it is empty of any development. A small town here and there, a sprinkling of metal sheds and gas stations. Lots of corn fields, some grazing cows, and a muddy river. It's a stretch of Interstate that is destined to be filled with development. At one time I remember my father suggesting that it made perfect sense to locate a regional airport along this corridor, and let Lincoln and Omaha abandon their sleepy airports.

The Lincoln Journal Star follows up on the Nebraska Innovation Zone Commission, a nineteen person committee charged to "advocate and recommend programs that encourage regional cooperation and foster community sustainability and economic development initiatives" along the Interstate 80 corridor. As the Journal Star points out, it's a virgin strip that can either be designed well (of course the word design isn't used), or it can become a wasteland of metal buildings and over-sized billboards (it already is leaving Omaha).

The occasion for the Journal Star editorial is the assemblage of a team of consultants, with Yale University Professor Alexander Garvin acting as a technical adviser to HDR Engineering, local Omaha firm:

Inspiring optimism was the inclusion on the team of Yale University Professor Alexander Garvin, who has wide experience as a consultant, including a leading role in redevelopment of the World Trade Center site.

Obviously, word hasn't reached Lincoln that redevelopment at 'the pit' (New York's version of a car crash) hasn't gone so smooth, and any coherent design vision has been tossed out in favor of business as usual, compromise on a grand scale, and fear-mongering. The other consultants are Olsson Associates of Lincoln and RDG Planning and Design of Omaha. Outside of Garvin, the commission is doing a good job of looking to the locals for advice, which is undoubtedly bound to lead to more of the status quo and an underwhelming recommendation. Likely in colored pencil.

If this sounds pessimistic, visit the comments section at the end of the editorial. RMAR writes "I have not seen the reason why this development is needed - we know it's not going lower our taxes!!" You go girl! (Nebraskans are uptight about their taxes). There is room for optimism. Recently daOMA launched (an unfortunate name is bound to confuse this endeavor with a Dutchman). But seriously, daOMA - design alliance OMAha (you know architects are involved when the use of upper and lowercase letters gets all fucked up) has the potential to take the Omaha design community to the next level, hopefully leaving behind a superficial and stylistic formalism that has plagued it for years. Hopefully the discussion created by this group is able to jump between scales, and look beyond Omaha's crunked downtown (architecture / decoration), and contribute to or lead the discussion surrounding the Interstate 80 corridor (urbanism).

I-80 corridor panel raises eyes to future [Lincoln Journal Star]

2015 Vision Group Called On To Engage Lincoln Public

The Lincoln Journal Star calls on the Lincoln 2015 Vision group to engage the public more instead of retreating behind 'closed doors', striking a balance between public engagement (peacock feathers and colored pencils) and necessary private meetings (sleeves rolled up and working):

The 2015 Vision group needs to give a higher priority to involving the public in a sustained and meaningful way. Public engagement is crucial. Simply put, many of the projects among its 10 pillars can’t be done without adequate public support. Involving the public at all stages keeps energy flowing, builds trust and makes community success more likely.

Meanwhile one commenter suggests locating the proposed convention center, one of the group's '10 pillars', at 27th Street and Interstate 80, a natural anchor to the city's primary retail strip.

2015 Vision group should keep public in loop [Lincoln Journal Star]

Lincoln, NE 2015 Vision Group Looks to Downtown

While reading about a proposed arena being planned behind closed doors in Lincoln, Nebraska (an arena that would be stylistically modeled after a historic train station: The up-to-130-foot-tall arena would use the Lincoln Station as an entrance, and the rest of the building would be modeled after the railroad station’s historic, red brick design.) we came across mention of the 2015 Vision, a group of Lincoln civic and business leaders who aim to create a "bold, new community vision." Safely veiled in red brick, of course.

Vision 2015 has identified '10 Pillars' that will contribute to the city's future: West Haymarket Arena, New Convention Center and Headquarter Hotel, Expansion of Haymarket Park, Nebraska Sports Triangle, Humanities and Art Center, Downtown Plaza and Tower/Garage Project, Retail Corridor Along P and Q Streets, Antelope Valley Projects, UNL Research and Development Corridor, High Amenity Agricultural Exposition Center. Most of these projects are downtown-centric and fail to look beyond deep ingrained notions of what contributes to a successful and vibrant city. Convention centers, arenas, downtown retail corridors, parking garages. No mention of the ever-expanding edges of the city, the suburbs, or the retail strip. The rest of the city that isn't easily packaged in color pencil renderings of downtown centers accented with event banners and children with balloons.

Arena works continues, behind closed doors [Lincoln Journal Star]

A Nebraska Vacation Comes To A Close

Back in New York after a week and a half visiting friends and family in Nebraska (less time for Emily as she flew into Omaha direct from Shanghai). Omaha and Lincoln have changed since we left over five years ago - Omaha maybe for the better, Lincoln for the worse. Omaha won the culture war. Or bought it. Insert obligatory Conor Oberst reference here.

Of course I'm gauging the battle based on new downtown development and activity, where progress is most visible and easily measured. The suburbs of Nebraska's largest two cities still seem to be a mess, both lacking any coherent design vision transcending what would be expected of the middle landscape found in any city. The architecture in Omaha is better. Lincoln has no architecture. Nearly every visible surface of building in Lincoln has been covered with a turret, dormer, cornice, or wedge - Deconstruction's gift to the vocabulary of the architect.

Downtown Lincoln fares no better than it's outer rings. While a small handful of individuals have firmly planted their feet and strive to do good work, the status quo reigns supreme. The city lacks leadership. The College of Architecture is aloof and disengaged from what is happening at its doorstep, perhaps stuck in a matrix. Bricks and mortar. Beige and tan. All with the token turret, dormer, cornice and wedge. Sometimes built-up from EIFS. Entire blocks of downtown are stripped bare, replaced with surface parking lots until construction can begin on parking garages, movie theaters, or soon mundane towers (with parking garages). The level of design is so hideously bad you can't help but to walk through the downtown and mutter "bad, bad, bad" as if scolding a dog. The interiors in most buildings are worse, as they often smell as if they were inspired by a visit to Starbucks. 10 years ago. The most interesting development in Lincoln is the knee-jerk reaction many building owners have had to Lincoln's recent smoking ban. Several facades at the sidewalk level have been carved away - the void filled with outdoor patios for the smokers of Lincoln to congregate, rather than fill the sidewalks or curbs as they do in other cities. Downtown living is picking up - though modern conveniences such as grocery stores, laundry mats, or the corner deli don't exist. A new apartment development, Federal Place Apartments, sports red Husker flags at the corners of the buildings. Coffee houses are on every block.

Downtown Omaha on the other hand is in the midst of some chest thumping resurgence. New York style. The new Holland Performing Arts Center designed by Polsheck Partnership is the finest piece of architecture downtown has to offer. Condos are sprouting up and filling existing warehouse space just as quick as Williamsburg or Bushhwick. North of downtown, but not part of downtown, the frightening Quest Center provides a backdrop to a mixed use development anchored by a new headquarters for Saddle Creek Records, though it is hard to tell how welcome the pedestrian will feel in this ground-up development. The city of Omaha has thrown its creative might into the eastern fringe of the city bound by the Missouri river, while continuing to disregard its western edge which continues to march westward into the future.

image of Holland Performing Arts Center by Albert Vecerka/Esto, others by Geoff DeOld

"Beige is sometimes used as a symbol or metaphor for blandness."

Heading to Lincoln, NE tomorrow for a couple days in the city of beige.

Village Pointe Lifestyle Center: Day Two

Trying to keep it real in Omaha. Grabbing the free wifi at Scooter's Coffeehouse at Village Pointe, Omaha NE's premiere urban destination. In the afternoon, during the week, the demographic is primarily seniors, and Omaha Woman, young to middle-aged woman who don't appear to have jobs, and come in to this quaint village to do some shopping. High-end shopping. Like Chico's. Everybody strolls in slow motion, as nobody is in a rush to get anywhere. Strolling also allows one to be noticed, display their bling, and stare down others with suspicion. They are Walter Benjamin's flaneur, for the 21st century. I suspect the activity picks up in the evening. There is evidence in the form of a posting at an information kiosk stating that minors are not allowed on the premises past 9pm, unless they are under the supervision of an adult. Any minors caught un-accompanied past 9pm will be escorted to one end of the development where they must be picked up by their parents. It's important to control image here. I can imagine packs of horny teenagers disrupting the Village Pointe night life - Funny Bone Comedy Club and Cheeseburger in Paradise. Maybe on skateboards. Skateboarding is a crime.

There is further evidence that control is slowly unraveling here. The new Apple Store, a quaint one-story affair, imposes it's unrelentless modern facade on the carefully crafted architectural 'language' of Village Pointe. The Village Pointe style, similiar to most Lifestyle Centers, is post-modern. A thoughtful blend of PoMo styles and componentry define the small-town feel of the development, mixed up just enough for it to appear as it evolved over time, at the hands of several different architects. The Apple Store obliterates that perception like a tumor, even though it is the only storefront that authentically abides by the mis-construed design vision. It is the only urban retailer on the Village Pointe tenant list, and is the only storefront that contributes to the eclecticism found in true urban centers. However, even the metal panels of the Apple facade are framed by a few feet of stone on either side, clearly an attempt by the Village Pointe design committee to contextualize the Apple tumor into the larger pallate. As a result the Apple box appears applied to a stone facade that 'should' be there instead. The message is clear that the Apple aesthetic doesn't belong here - that it is an anomaly - and it is only tolerated because it is an attractive tenant.

Despite all this, Village Pointe doesn't feel like a successful Lifestyle Center. Missing is an infusion of anything that hints of 'mixed-use', the common buzz-phrase / ingrediant for successful urban development, real or faux. Sophisticated Lifestyle Centers include commercial office space and even rental apartments and condos. Programmatic elements with some purpose. Even a corner deli would help, a place to purchase facial tissue, fruit, or refreshments. But it's clear there is a short-minded and limited idea about what this Lifestyle Center could be. At either end of the Main Street, the Code of Conduct is clearly posted. Anything that begins to approach a deviation from the activity of shopping is prohibited; the list ranges from disruptive language and clothing, to sitting the wrong way and standing idle. Regardless of the intense effort to portray and mimic the late 19th / early 20th century street scene, the frozen space of the late 20th century enclosed shopping mall (Victor Gruen) is still the intended model for this Lifestyle Center.

Village Pointe Lifestyle Center [Flickr Set]