53rd St. Vision Workshop Part 2

Irene sent around a notice that a second workshop will be held Saturday, May 3rd, starting at Kenwood Academy at 5015 S. Blackstone.  For this event, you are urged to bring a camera & comfortable shoes because a walking tour will be part of the festivities.  Information about the first 53rd Street Vision Workshop can be found here.

Reviews of the first workshop were generally positive.  An important idea the presenters tried to get across was that increased density would be a very good thing.  I agree.  More density means less suburban sprawl means fewer greenhouse gas emissions.  More density in Hyde Park would tend to increase transit over time. 

Even though I support more density, I still feel it's being oversold as a way to increase retail here.  It will, but very slowly because increasing density will be a slow process.  Building Solstice and converting the Shoreland to condos are helpful, but we're still talking small percentage increases in population.

The quickest way to gain retail & services for Hyde Park is by making it more convenient and attractive for folks from other neighborhoods to shop here.  That means we need to look for ways to make HP more of a leisure destination.  And we need to make transportation more convenient.  Sure, a parking garage at 53rd Street would help, but transit improvements like the Gray Line promise more shoppers more cheaply.

Comments

[Diana Barrie]

I have a suggestion for improving the retail environment in Hyde Park. If the people who live in the neighborhood would make an effort to shop here, instead of mindlessly hopping into their cars, perhaps the retailers who are located here would do better, and others would get the idea that this neighborhood is a place where there is money to be made. I realize that it's not possible to get everything you need in this neighborhood, but many of the necessities of daily life are available (as well as quite a few of the luxuries). Those things may be a little more expensive than in other places, but if you shop in the neighborhood, you save on gas (or don't even USE gas if you walk) and you save time. Besides doing most of our everyday shopping in Hyde Park, my sister and I also have an annual tradition of a shopping spree in Hyde Park on the Friday after Thanksgiving. We walk the entire time, sampling the goods in various stores and stopping for coffee breaks and lunch or dinner in local restaurants. I invite other residents to try it out instead of braving the crowds downtown or at the suburban malls.