Locating a Downtown Grocery Store

When I first read this Memphis Daily News article, I thought that they were talking about making the proposed grocery store at Auction and Seventh the fabled Downtown grocery. On second reading, it sounds like an Uptown project, specifically designed for the Uptown neighborhood. Nothing wrong with a neighborhood grocery store, especially if they build it to New Urbanist design standards.

As pointed out by my friend Justin in an offline conversation, here's the problem with that being the Downtown grocery store.

A six block walk from the trolley means that most downtown residents, who probably own a car, would drive to this grocery store rather than walk. They're driving now, so this location wouldn't change their experience, only the amount of time they spend in the car getting to the store.

Here's a picture of Downtown/Medical Center/Crosstown. The trolley line's in green, surrounded by an approximate 3 block border in white. (I chose 3 blocks as a not unreasonable amount to walk with a few bags of groceries).


There are lots of places to put a grocery store that downtownies could get to without burning fossil fuels.

By building the grocery store within walking distance of the trolley, we add to the special experience for Downtown residents and visitors. It's this experience that many people want when they move or visit downtown. It's this experience that we should consider with every major project that happens Downtown.

Make a Place

Friends for Our Riverfront, another overachieving citizens brigade, is hosting a placemaking workshop on Saturday, March 31:

We’ve got a shot at dreaming a dynamic role for our riverfront on Saturday, March 31 - with a little help from the Project for Public Spaces (PPS). They’re known world-wide for working with communities to create public places that people use and love.

PPS calls the process "Placemaking," and the most important ingredient is YOU.

It’ll run from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Jack Robinson Gallery (Front & Huling). Details and sign-up are at http://www.friendsforourriverfront.org/2007/02/world-renowned-agency-to-help-memphians.html

Help shape our city’s future. Now is time, so bring your ideas and imagination and COME.

See you on the 31st.
Virginia McLean
President, Friends for Our Riverfront
www.friendsforourriverfront.org

Memphis Music Commission Meets Media 2.0 (Maybe)

The Memphis Flyer reports that the Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission has joined MySpace. A small thing, but a good thing.

A Memphis Music Foundation¹ project mentioned last year was a digital music initiative. They had budgeted it at $750,000. $750,000! They could host an mp3 by every man, woman and child in Tennessee for that much money. There's no reason to spend that much on a website. The software's cheap if not free and you can use the branding from your existing website on your digital music website. This will cost money, but not $750,000.

Luckily, the thing that prevented them from spending that much money was the lack of that much money.

MySpace and its Web 2.0 brethren don't cost, or cost much. And they're easy to use -- you don't need staff to do it unless you can't write.

We might be poor but we're not stupid.

¹Frankly, I can't tell the difference between the Music Commission and the Music Foundation. I might be unfairly commingling them here.

Democracy and Creativity in Memphis

I wanted to add this idea to my Vision:

To flourish, the creativity of Memphis requires democratic, participatory and transparent institutions. Hierarchy and exclusion selfishly darken the field of ideas, stunting if not poisoning the growth of creativity and with it the future of Memphis.

Like my other Visions, nothing original. A gazillion people are saying variations all over the planet. Some are saying it very well here in Memphis. But I think it's worth saying again. And again. And again...