city cycles

To Whom It May Concern:

I have found a new project to put my energies into and it's been sitting under my cybernose this entire time!

I think it's about time Cleveland consider a policy like this one that requires bike parking at new/renovated construction in the city. If we cannot make our mind up about bikelanes, which certainly have their disadvantages (door-jams and broken glass to name a few), then perhaps we can do something about making cycling more convenient in the city! MORE PARKING. Bike parking can certainly masquerade as public art and can be locally designed and built, by vocational students no less!

Consider this evidence which proves the need for said legislation:

-25% of Clevelanders do not own a car
-All RTA mass transit vehicles are bicycle enabled
-With a bicycle a person can move 5X as fast and 5X as far with the same amount of energy when compared to walking
-Mobility = Economic Opportunity
-12 bicycles can fit into one carparking space

If 12 bikes fit into one parking space, I wonder what the ratio could be for eliminating car parking allotments with bike parking? 5 bike parking spots = one car parking spot? I'm sure developers could be persuaded. Car parking certainly isn't free! I've heard estimates at high at $8500 for surface lots! And that's only the upfront costs!

If you would like to help with this endeavor in pushing said legislation through City Council, drop me a line.

pEACE<

skating through life

As an avid walker and bicyclist, no uni's for me, I appreciate others on wheels. While I don't see many bladers in Clevo, I imagine there a quite a few in the metroparks, I do see lots of skateboarders, especially downtown.

I, for one, like the prescence of skateboarders for they really liven up an area. Skaters have the ability to turn an unsightly urban area into a flowing oasis. Yes, they are a bit disruptive, but they are teenagers afterall. And anyhow, what's wrong with periodic disruption? Can it be any worse than creative destruction?

Actually periodic destruction and creative disruption run perfectly parallel.

Skaters are, or perhaps it should be said; have the potential to be, economic development.

economic development is the holy grail in this town, hey?
in addition to E.D., skateparks improve the quality of life; now that's a goal for democracy!

check out this E.D. bustin', quality of life makin' skatePLAZA in kettering ohio
large pdf >
small jpg >

ah yes, a skatePLAZA. ingenious you say!
yes indeed. skaters love it because it's less like a park and more like the city streets as it incorporates a lot of street features.
good design enables diversity.
looks like it might be fun for folks in wheelchairs too!
dogs would like it if there were more trees.
and even so called regular folks like you and me.
we can all use it together.

I think this would be a fine way to democratize a quadrant of our public square.
if interested, talk to the good cleveland folks who understand old fashioned human centered design.

however, I believe the feasibility of this project would increase greatly if created on a vacant lot somewhere in midtown or asia village. as a walker and occassional sitter, I can appreciate the quality of life enhancement that a well treed, tiered, wifi'd skateplaza can bring to a neighborhood.

a place for outdoor meeting and eating
a place for blogging and dogging
a place for litter and critters
a place to make a joke-a or drink a mocha
do the polka or sniff some coka
talk on the tele.....
get mauled by some kid doin a heli



I strongly believe we can incorporate all sorts of uses, all sorts of organisms, and it'll be a great people magnet for the all the great peeps in clevo!

Of course, we ought ask the local skaters how to best design it, eh?

What think ya?

I think we can build it with some generous folks, a bit of green, lots of hands, some strawbales, and various industrial/urban remnants.

PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER!!