Just wanted to add to this notion that: “When the commons is given away, it’s almost impossible to get it back. Just take a look at the failed Seattle Commons as an example of how hard it can be.”
There was an article in the Sea Times about lessons to be learned from Van BC:, er, no, it was in the PI:
Via Cascadia Scorecard, “More Urban Development Lessons from the North“:
the Seattle P-I had another interesting article on the lessons Vancouver has to offer on urban development–making the city both an exciting and a family-friendly place to live. Tips include requiring developers to:
- create multi-bedroom apartments designed for families
- provide community centers, playgrounds, neighborhood schools, landscaping, and other public amenities
- design buildings that create a pedestrian-friendly and visually appealing streetscape–not just a barren street canyon. (Buildings on some streets are kept short to make them feel more homey.)
Seattle’s mayor is in the midst of unveiling plans to create vibrant, dense urban centers by raising building heights, charging developers one fee of $1-2 per square foot to pay for parks and open space and another fee of $10 primarily to build low-income housing.