DOWNTOWN FUTURE HAS TO DEAL WITH INSTABILITY

Urban designers are subject to group thinking. A “futures” team of people should formulate a program and use design as part of a project planning process. Sages warn that urban design futures have determinants such as economic feasibility, planning for land areas and building footprints with cost estimating and financing.

Actions toward this end suggest that stability is a false god. Strategic thinking is inclined towards instability. Persuading city fathers, team members and “stakeholders” to recognize our citizens popular will requires diplomacy. During the progress of project evolution there will be many wasted efforts on attempts to suppress or promote some friction between members. One should not lose both project teamwork and project purpose by over compromising the goals and objectives in order to maintain unity of consensus.

Projects need some level of instability. More than likely there is always one unthought of element that contributes toward a significant project change. What if change is both overdue and inevitable? Team members need to support the future project theme for the good of all, rather than through the threat of over-indulgence by a leader or an ego filled individual with a chip on the shoulder.

Focusing exclusively on short-term strategic thinking such as the multi use downtown stadium tied to an “entertainment development” has offered the possibility of imminent collapse, if either project did not meet certain goals. These strategies cause instability with long term tactics for greater tax increment incomes, better urban land use densities, added mixed-use (commercial and residential), future structured parking and roadway access as tactical moves for the years ahead. The strategic model should rather consider this initial project as impacting the futures of surrounding real estate, in a positive sense. This needs a downtown development framework plan.

New forms of political and private organization should be encouraged to move forward. The current inhibiting city administration should be able to rise above its old fashioned and inadequate approach to downtown urban renewal. The Bakersfield Old Boy’s club should also release its eminence grise and pass on its wisdom to the next generation of downtown developers.

BY Graham Kaye-Eddie – Master Urban Designer.

Makabusi Inc. – Bakersfield – California

Email – makabusi@pacbell.net

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