Would this work in Lakewood?

I grew up in Burlington, Vermont. Burlington is a small city, privileged in many ways: a major University sits on the hill overlooking Lake Champlain, which is largely open and accessible to residents and visitors alike; the Green Mountains rise to the east while the Adirondack Mountains form the horizon to the west; a thriving downtown commercial district hosts year round community celebrations and opportunities for gathering, socializing and community building in general. You’ll find similar scenes in Ithaca, New York and Boulder, Colorado. There’s not much, living in Lakewood, that we can do about the benefits of certain natural resources (can we write a grant to install a mountain range?), but I wonder what we as a community can really do about creating a thriving downtown commercial district?

Looking around Lakewood, I see a lot of development happening along side of vacant storefronts. It creates a real paradoxical situation: how can we sustain new residential and commercial development when we’ve had a difficult time supporting what once was? I am supportive of the development that is going on – don’t get me wrong – but I fear the “out with the old, in with the new” style motivation. We, as a community, already said “No” to this kind of thinking a couple years ago. Other communities have not, and the results have been the “Crocker Parkification” of Cleveland’s outer-ring suburbs and exurbs. These simulacra, though expensive and arguably annoying, do appeal to something in us that we long for: an experience that combines the out-of-doors with our need to gather socially and have a place to spend a little money, too. There’s nothing wrong with this. In fact, my wife and I were surprised one day when we found ourselves at a big bookstore adjacent to a newly-developed mega-mall, bumping into several people we knew from Lakewood and Cleveland, sitting outside, talking, having lunch or a cup of coffee. The question I couldn’t stop asking myself was this: why isn’t there an opportunity to do this in a real downtown, like Lakewood?

I’m sure that everyone envisions the idyllic when thinking about how to improve life in his or her own community. I’m no exception, and so I propose this food for thought:

Close off a 2 or 3 block long section of Madison Avenue and create a “pedestrian –only” (walk your bikes; pick up after your dog) zone. This section should be near enough to the 117^th Street Rapid stop that people could commute from points east and west by train, be served by the shuttle busses, and have bike racks installed (temporary or permanent) for those who ride. It should also be wheel chair accessible. This should happen 4 times next summer, once each in June, July, August and September. For the sake of discussion, let’s say that Madison Avenue from Bela Dubby west to around where B-Ware Video used to be is blocked off. People can park in the municipal lot on the east side of the zone, on the streets, at the RTA station, etc.

So now we have a time frame, a physical space and we have several ways to get there.

Now imagine this: it’s a hot summer day. Malley’s has a scoop cart set up and is selling ice-cold ice cream cones. Tables are set up along the sidewalks, and people are having lunch at Sullivan’s, sitting outside. More tables are set up outside of Bela Dubby and folks are passing the time over iced coffee and the evil IPA. The parking next to Bela Dubby has a stage set up and a Lakewood band is setting up for an outdoor gig. Animal balloon makers, guitar-players, magicians and face-painters traverse the street, engaging children and adults alike. Benches are filled with people, neighbors, swapping stores about summer vacations, gardens, planning for the future and traveling down memory lane with one another. Various interest groups from around Lakewood have information tables set up eager to share their views on the needs of the city, the county, the region, the country… Voter registration tables make sure all eligible residents are registered for the upcoming elections. Local artisans and craftspeople show off and sell their wares. Lakewood’s ethnic and historical heritage is highlighted in a variety of displays around the street. A farmer’s market sells fresh fruits and vegetables. Additional local businesses are tapped for their offerings: fresh flowers, antiques, smoothies and sandwiches. The Lakewood Public Library runs a book sale satellite station. People pour in from Cleveland, Rocky River, Westlake, North Olmsted, Avon, Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights…

Is it a street fair? A festival? How about “Lakewood Days?” Or, is it something that could become a permanent part of our social, physical and economic fabric?

Think about the empty storefronts in that strip. Wouldn’t it make sense for a bookstore, boutique, art gallery, or a (gasp) souvenir shop to move in? Can you picture a sculptural fountain centerpiece where kids splash and play (have you been to Millennium Park in Chicago)? Can you picture an outdoor concert series, in addition to the one at Lakewood Park, that focuses on Lakewood musicians? How about outdoor movie screenings for families?

What would you like to see? What can you contribute?

If you’ve answered those questions, how can we continue to build a Lakewood that reflects the preferences of those who live here? How can we continue to build a Lakewood that addresses the needs of those who live here? I know that, if I was looking for somewhere to move, I would rank very highly how well a community is aware of its own identity and what it does to cultivate and celebrate that. We identify with where we’re from (what does a New Yorker bring to mind, for example) so why not be from somewhere genuine? I think one of the biggest problems of ‘redevelopment’ is the yearning for something, or someone, that is not there. You know how when you are talking to someone and it’s clear that, even though they are in front of you, they are really cranking their neck to see if there’s someone else in the room that they should be standing by, instead of engaging in the conversation they are actually in? That’s what this ‘Creative Class’ model of redevelopment reminds me of; building something because it’s ‘cool’ does little more than isolate the people in town who don’t identify with that version of ‘cool,’ and attracts people from out of town who contribute to that kind of isolation. If everyone in town likes chocolate and strawberry but you focus on selling vanilla because you can sell it for more to the people who live in another town, that’s disingenuous. If you celebrate what is great about chocolate and strawberry, then you appeal to the home team, and the people who prefer vanilla may very well become interested in learning what’s so great about chocolate and strawberry. Similarly, there will be some people who like chocolate and strawberry who will want to spend some time exploring what the vanilla people love about vanilla. Eventually, you have some new, exciting flavors to work with.

I’m not accusing Lakewood of heading down the vanilla highway, I just fear the temptation to do so. I think there is something alluring about being the first kid on the block to host a highly recognizable idea or brand. But then you are just competing with other towns that can build the same thing, only bigger and better. By focusing on what is unique about our town and building along those lines, no one can compete with us; who could build a bigger, better Lakewood?