The Big Questions

My elevator pitch for Albany, take 1

I'm egregiously behind in writing this, largely because I just want to second most of what was said in response to my original post and here. But here's one idea. This isn't anything new really, just with an organizing principle:

Albany encompasses the best of both worlds. (I originally wrote "middle ground," which, while more accurate, sounded so not exciting enough for a sales pitch.)
--Size: Albany is large enough to have a wide range of neighborhoods and growing retail and a decent bus system and a lot of culture and downtown jobs, but it's also small enough that you get to know people, that both daily living and going out are fairly affordable, and there's a little space to breath.
--Location: Albany's a true city itself, has quick access to great natural areas, both very nearby (Hudson River, Tivoli Preserve) and in the surrounding area (Adirondacks, Catskills, Berkshires), and has quick access to several big cities.
--(what to call this item?): Albany is fairly cosmopolitan, tolerant of diversity, and full of activists and intellectuals, and yet it's not pretentious. You don't have to be a fashion plate to feel comfortable walking down the street, nor do you need to drive a Prius with the right bumper stickers. (Someone told me the other day, "I don't feel dirty in Albany. I felt dirty in Ithaca.")
--Livability: Albany has an incredible amount of history, gorgeous views, and  great old architecture. Much of the city has a great quality of life while still being affordable.
--Future: Albany is neither a disaster or a "success story." In many ways its future is wide open, and it has a lot of choices and opportunities in front of it.

This, however, is still more list making than getting at the essence of the city, as Sarah talked about in the comments to the last post. I think I'll have to give it another try with that lens. Another day.

Jennings and abandoned buildings

Sorry for the hiatus. While my attention was elsewhere:

Mayor Jennings, along with Attorney General Cuomo and DA Soares talked about abandoned buildings. Specifically, they announced a plan that involves targeting 50 blocks, establishing a Division of Neighborhood Revitalization, and creating a special court to address building code violations. They also plan to crack down legally on owners of buildings where crime is regularly taking place. These are all good things, and it's good to see Soares and Jennings appearing behind the same podium on something important.

However, the Times Union editorial about it was on point: It's good they're talking about it; it should be one of Jennings' major focuses for the rest of his term; the actual plan is not bad; and yet, talk isn't enough.

Point one: The plan needs money, and no one has said where its coming from.

Point two, which the TU didn't make: Until we change the incentives creating abandonment, all these clean-up programs are going to be a losing battle. Luckily, a team of planners the mayor invited to the city over the summer included some national experts in dealing with abandonment, and they offered a detailed, point-by-point agenda for both reducing and preventing abandonment. It wasn't even that expensive, and parts of it would pay for themselves before long.

Perhaps re-jiggering the details of the city-county foreclosure process, creating a detailed and functional database of abandoned properties, enforcing existing regulations, upping fees, and providing real rehab money to homeowners isn't as sexy a list as what this press conference was announcing, but it has the advantage of being well-tested and likely to make a long-term different in the pattern, not just a short-term difference in specific properties.

It's sad that there doesn't appear to have been any mention of any of this in the Jennings' plan. Does he remember that he said he'd move to implement the SDAT recommendations?

I suppose we have achieved recognition of abandoned properties as a major issue at least.

For more info on the topic at large: National Vacant Properties Campaign.

"Forgotten Cities"

One of the things that I think is crucial for those of us trying to figure out how to plan for and grow a better Albany is not to work in a vacuum. While every city is unique, we also share a lot of things in common, and there are great lessons to be learned from creative people overcoming what seemed like insurmountable obstacles in similar cities. These stories are  useful for generating ideas and learning lessons, and also a good response to nay-sayers and cynics.

One great report in that vein that I recently had the pleasure to copyedit is Voices From Forgotten Cites: Innovative Revitalization Coalitions in America's Older Small Cities (pdf file). It comes out of a seminar series at MIT, and is peppered with quotes from real folks doing revitalization work on the ground. It describes a small handful of places making some really great turnarounds, and gives some analysis of why.  The tantalizingly hopeful and yet difficult conclusion they offer is that the most important thing to do is  gather a wide coalition together to do something well. Almost anything, as long as it's meaningful and people might not have expected it to go well.  Then capture that excitement and keep going.  Sounds easy. Isn't. But isn't impossible either.

Perhaps as, or even more, important, the report is also particularly good at making those of us in "older small cities" feel not alone. It travels through the psychological effects on a place that has lost clout and population over the past several decades, and doesn't pull any punches when it talks about the dysfunctional patterns in local government that that leads to. Much as it's fun to glorify in Albany's seedy machine history, I actually found it comforting to be reminded that a lot of what happens here is not that unusual.

Worth a read. I'll collect a few other resources in another post soon. (And I haven't forgotten that I owe you my own elevator pitch. Though ya'll said it so well, I'm not so sure what I have to add.)