Hoch Associates, a progressive architecture, engineering, urban and interior design firm with offices in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis is talking about the Flint Crisis in a series of blog posts over the next few days. While we understand our core of a company is architecture, we also believe in the importance of community and how it drives us. We believe that no matter where we are in location or in life, our responsibility is to create better, healthier, stronger and more vibrant communities. We are happy you decided to follow along over the next few days as we dive deeper than water in Flint Michigan to get to a bigger story on how we design and plan our cities IS our responsibility.
It’s important to note that we are not CNN, NBC or any of the major news outlets covering the actual water crisis. While the headline news is devastating and our hearts reach out, we are leaving that coverage and information to the national news outlets. You will see throughout our coverage of the Flint Crisis small inserts about the current situation, however the focus will be on the city itself and how urban design has played a roll in where Flint stands today.
THE FLINT CRISIS: THE BELT
“I went back to Ohio, but my city was gone. There was no train station, there was no downtown. South Howard had disappeared, all my favorite places. My city had been pulled down, reduced to parking spaces.” – The Pretenders
No surprise, the primary theme song of the Rush Limbaugh show happens to be about urban decay, out-used buildings and blight…everywhere. The author of the song, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders said “Everything’s just huge masses of granite blocks, and everything’s outsized. It might look good on a drawing, but it doesn’t seem to apply to human life.” Little did we know that in 1984, that song would be the anthem of so many cities along the Midwestern industrial mecca now dubbed as The Rust Belt. As I spent the day in Flint, you could see exactly what this song was talking about, rows of abandoned and unused structures lining the streets and several empty, vacant lots that had already been given the death sentence by land bank officials. How does a city come back from such an unattractive view to the world?
“It’s not just a Flint thing, it’s a Belt thing” says Chrissie James a local resident who was standing at the corner of Crapo and Kearsley. I was there taking photographs when I saw her waiting for the bus to arrive. “What do you mean it’s a belt thing?” I say to her. “Cleveland, Youngstown, Toledo, Detroit, Flint, they’ve all but given up on us can’t you see it?” Of course she is talking about the infamous rust-belt, the area that once was heavily industrialized and often by one industry is now on the brink and has seen the largest population decrease in the country over the last thirty years. James, a young mother of two was on her way home from the Library and was dressed in what seemed to be higher end fashions, but it would be a fools romance as the clothes she bought came from a yard-sale in Oakland. She is one of the nearly 50,000 residents living in poverty only making $13,000 a year to support her family. I continue to follow James as we walk across the street and down another long and broken city sidewalk asking her questions about her opinion on what should be done. “I believe we have a good mayor, the water might kill us, but it’s a chance for a clean slate.” Finally as we reach the last corner on our short walk she says “It’s a respectful cause you have going on, it’s time people start talking about us with light in their eyes rather than no emotion at all.” How little did I ever know that those simple words would mean so much to me. Chrissie, a young mother of two who is working two jobs just to support her children and living in a basement apartment could move to Oakland to be with her family, but instead she believes that the best days of Flint and the rest of the American Rust Belt are ahead…and she wants her children to experience the turn around. Don’t we all?
Chrissie isn’t alone in believing that the best days are still ahead. Surely who would think that a city once busting at the seams with 190,000 residents now at half the size and 50% poverty would believe that Flint has a chance to recover? That’s when I met Jake Lewis, a young 21 year old guy who was walking from his classes at University of Michigan Flint. As we stopped in for a cup of coffee (yes, I was quite wired that day) we talked about his city and what he has seen happen. “They keep acting like we don’t exist, we are an embarrassment for Lansing and Washington.” The problem is Flint does exist, so does Youngstown, Cleveland and Gary, and he couldn’t be more correct in his observation. “However, my generation will be the ones who make the Rust Belt cool again, because why not.” One of his classes focuses on poverty laden communities and their access to health care. “Everyone fights and shouts about Obamacare, but when it comes down to the people, no one wants to talk about the real problems. I’m a registered Republican too.” Jake you can see is passionate about taking care of those less fortunate, from the way he wraps up his extra cookie which he plans on handing out to the first homeless person he crosses on the walk back to campus. However his comment on Millennials may have meaning. A recent study by Urban Edge discovered that more college educated millennials are choosing cities in the upper Midwest over Boston, New York and Los Angeles because of the cost of living and amount of opportunity. Lewis believes that if the government fully supports the trends in millennial movement, the rust belt will soon become the hub of something great.
THE FLINT CRISIS: IDEAS
“I went back to Ohio, but my city was gone. There was no train station, there was no downtown. South Howard had disappeared, all my favorite places. My city had been pulled down, reduced to parking spaces.” – The Pretenders
The barista standing behind the coffee machine kept bending his ear into the conversation between Jake and myself. As we continued to talk about opportunities he sees in the community and with the millennial generation, Shawn the person responsible for my hair raising coffee blend chimes in with “It’s a good thing, a good start you know.” Both Jake and I look back to see who said that and he continues “Flint used to be dirty, but maybe this is a chance to try again and do it right.” I ask “what do you mean do it right?” As he finishes chewing on a bite of muffin from the cabinet below, he replies “building the city right, smaller and more agile but greener, you know…healthier.” You can see Shawn is a champion behind the rebirth of Flint, his positive attitude is something I actually discovered several times throughout the day from several residents from all walks of life. Surely the water and the sluggish economy had their toll on residents, but overall there was a sense of resilience in everyone’s tone, that Flint wasn’t done and they wouldn’t be giving up anytime soon. As we wrapped up our talk over coffee Jake said “Dan, California will make you go broke, New York will do the same, but here….here you can make something of yourself and save a little while you’re at it.” Maybe, just maybe he’s onto something.
As we start to walk down the sidewalk past the front of the coffee shop, you can see Jake stepping over large cracks in the cement on purpose as to avoid tripping in front of me. “Cracks in the sidewalk, roads with potholes, even crumbling buildings, I guess it’s a part of our greater identity” says Jake. I ask, if you could do one thing to make a huge difference in Flint, what is your one powerful idea?
IDEAS: TEAR DOWN THE HIGHWAY
“That highway you can see off in the distance, yeah that’s a mess” says Jake Lewis as he quickly answers my one daunting question in what would he change first. Of course, I’m looking for any powerful ideas to help revive a city that has been written off by the masses, but taking down a federal highway was the last thing on my mind. The 17 mile divided interstate bisects downtown Flint separating the residents from the downtown storefronts, government offices and access to adequate parks and development opportunities. Originally proposed in the 1950’s, the highway was designed to help a city bursting at the seams with a new influx of population working at the several car manufacturers getting goods to market. However, traffic counts today would make Eisenhower roll over in his grave with the lack of travel on the road that divided the city. Beginning at the northern terminus of the road, average daily traffic counts are a staggering 20,000 cars while the core of the highway near downtown averages 33-40,000 motorists still way below the average. For comparison, drive Coliseum Blvd. and you can see how many cars traverse the neighborhood dividing Interstate 475 in downtown Flint with limited access exit points focused on getting people through the city rather than to the city. Driving along 475 in Flint today, one can experience an array of abandonment all around with countless homes and storefronts now sitting vacant. A city that is looking to shrink its service population and move residents closer to the city core has a big elephant in the middle of the room and that is a long, lesser used Interstate highway that crosses through the heart of the city.
Can a city tear down an interstate highway? Well, of course it can’t just bring in bulldozers and do it on its own volition, but working with the federal government and providing a starting point is something worth discussing. All one has to do is look at other Rust Belt cities like Rochester, Akron and Syracuse who have all began making plans to remove or relocate portions of their downtown highway systems that have caused nothing but stagnation in an area that traditionally sees growth and prosperity. While the ImagineFlint plan doesn’t necessarily provide a plan for city officials if the highway is taken down, all one has to do is look at Google Maps to see what a highway removal could do for a dying city like Flint who is looking to re-invent itself. A look at the racial population makeup of the city alone calls for drastic changes to how the neighborhoods are interconnected, it’s easy to see that a new approach to the transportation system in Flint could truly connect neighborhoods and spur economic development in areas that were once segregated.
If the federal government were to work with Flint and remove the Interstate 475 highway, here are a few things we could see that would have an immediate impact on the economic outcome of Flint Michigan:
1. Removal south of Interstate 69 means more green –
By removing the current four lane expressway south of Interstate 69 at the edge of downtown, you will see a natural benefit with the expansion of the current parks near Thread Lake. When cities across the country are rushing to improve their blueways/greenways, why couldn’t Flint do the same? Some of the best real estate in the city sits on the southeastern edge of the lake with the Flint Golf Club and half million dollar homes. By the removal of I-475 you will open this beautiful lake property in the city of Flint. As you can see in the image we have re-created the green color is designated as open park and recreation space which covers a majority of the former Interstate road bed allowing it to stretch closer into downtown. In addition to access to and from Thread Lake, the former interchanges that lead both north and south from Interstate 69 will be mostly turned into new greenspace filled with pedestrian trails connecting residents south of I-69 to downtown amenities such as shopping, dining, entertainment, riverfront and civic structures. Removing blight along the primary artery and replacing it with green will give a more progressive image to the city for travelers and business executives while instilling pride and creating a sustainable living environment.
2. Removal south of Interstate 69 means more mixed use –
In the image above, the orange color is designated as mixed use and multi-family residences. The once abandoned South Saginaw filled with a variety of muffler shops and abandoned store fronts will become a vibrant new commercial district surrounded by new housing and office spaces. Imagine a new primary intersection at Saginaw and 12th Street providing a centerpiece for the new development. A newly aligned intersection at 12th and Magnolia would also open development opportunities on the far eastern edge of the new mixed use neighborhood. In this designated mixed-use redevelopment you’ll also find Howard Station, an area once known for it’s crime ridden government subsidized housing complexes, but a newly improved neighborhood would work to change the perception and reduce the crime rate.
3. Removal south of Interstate 69 means more single family residential –
Keeping the bulk of single family homes south of the Canadian National Railway will help build a sense of walk ability, ease of access and neighborhood pride. As you can see on the image provided above, all single family residential would be clustered near the newly expanded green space attached to Thread Lake and Thread Creek. New sidewalks and walking paths connecting the neighborhoods to Thread Lake and downtown would also be an important feature to spur residential infill as many of the homes would be owner occupied rather than rented. New railroad crossings would also be installed at Clifford and Howard along with repaired and improved bridges at Saginaw and Grand Traverse.
4. Removal north of Interstate 69 means more downtown –
One area of Flint that has had great revival and success continues to be the downtown core of the city. Ranging from shops to restaurants and civic facilities, downtown still remains the activity hub of the city. If the goal is to eventually continue shrinking the city and bringing residents and services closer to the center, expanding the footprint of downtown is essential to growth. By closing the highway, residents will be able to experience rows of new storefronts and services along Court, 3rd and 5th in the area that once was filled by Interstate 475. This means expanded parking options, additional revenue from tax collections and a more centralized hub for additional activities by residents and tourists.
5. Removal north of Interstate 69 means more education options –
The University of Michigan Flint has the largest footprint in downtown owning a large portion of buildings and lots for further expansion. With the closure of Interstate 475, University officials could continue in their quest to build a world class satellite campus in the heart of Flint by expanding with new structures between 3rd and the current campus. In addition to expanding inside the former highway strip, the university adding facilities in this space would help connect the historic and beloved East Village/Central Park neighborhood to downtown creating a vibrant connection between the residents and services. As you can see, we have colored the close to downtown neighborhood as Multi-Family/Mixed Use to continue in our quest to create vibrant living options for residents.
6. Removal north of Interstate 69 means more work-live spaces –
Along with the historic East Village/Central Park neighborhood that once was separated from downtown by a four lane highway, filling in a portion of the space where the current interstate crosses 5th with a new work-live complex will bring a new type of housing stock to a city in need of new ideas. Working with a major international manufacturer, the space could be used as a research park with housing on site or shops/galleries on the first floor with upstairs living options. In addition, we would like to see a consolidated citizens services center relocated one block north of the current outdated facility. This would open the current site for redevelopment as additional work-live spaces located in the heart of downtown and easy access to Interstate 69 and 75.
7. Removal north of Interstate 69 means more culture –
The Sloan Museum, Flint Youth Theatre, Flint Institute of Arts, Mott Community College, Flint City Schools, Flint Farmers Market and the library are all important assets to the city and their location close to downtown should enhance the overall experience, but currently these facilities are cut from the core by the highway. By removing the concrete jungle you would be able to connect these top notch cultural and educational spaces with downtown creating a cohesive space for all to enjoy. Moving the current city hall to a vacant lot along Saginaw and the consolidation of Flint High Schools into a new Central High on the campus of the former Central High will create a one of a kind centralized hub full of exciting opportunities and programming for all.