This Old Park

I live across the street from a large park. It’s a scenic and rather active place, and I enjoy living near it.

When weather permits, I can sit on my front porch, drink coffee in the morning, and watch people run or walk by on the 2.2 mile circular paved trail. Or when I am feeling particularly guilty or industrious, I can get off my duff and onto the trail, seeing ducks, geese and squirrels along the way.

Here in the United States, parks come in many shapes, sizes and uses. The smallest may offer some shade and a few benches for sitting, while some of our largest parks can be thousands of square miles inhabited by wild animals that could, if so inclined, eat you.

Most of the time, you know a park when you see it. It is a set aside tract of land, often with distinct boundaries, designed for a specific purpose. It could be for recreation or the protection and preservation of cultural or natural resources.

Also, a park can be designated and designed for commerce. In the course of doing my job as a consultant to industry and economic development organizations, I frequently visit business and industrial parks all over the country.

Some I Like, Some I Don’t

Some so-called industrial or business parks that I have seen are little more than a swath of vacant, raw land. I learned that it is a park only by virtue of the fact that an economic developer told me so or that there was a sign present.

Forget that there may be little or no infrastructure evident — no roads, no water, sewer and gas lines, but those things will come, I am told, if I only deliver the right company or project. Not exactly a ready-to-go site.

Frankly, if doesn’t look or smell like an industrial/business park, I don’t think of it as such.

On the other hand, I have been in some business and industrial parks that are quite impressive. They are purposely designed and engineered to harbor and meet the needs of certain types of companies doing certain types of things.

And they, too, may have trees, sidewalks, curbs and gutters and walking trails, all  designed to make the place more habitable. As such, these business-specific parks usually have covenants in place so that something out of place or some activity does not happen or arise that is incompatible with that of its neighbors.

Covenants are important because many companies host visitors and/or customers and these companies want to uphold a certain image by being in upscale or at least understandable surroundings.

It is for that reason alone that a business or industrial park is often chosen by a company, often at a greater cost. If the park is designed and maintained well, it provides not just the required infrastructure needed, but also a level of protection.

In short, a company will know or can expect to know what the neighborhood will look like for the foreseeable future. And there is a value to that.

The last thing a company wants is to build onto a site or move into a new facility and then another company locates nearby with an operation that is totally foreign to and detracts from the immediate surroundings.

In that respect, it is not that much different than shopping for a home in a residential subdivision. You are looking not just at the house that is being sold or built, but you are also considering the neighborhood and making a determination if you like the physical environment.

What is This?

Last week, at the bequest of a client, I took a long and hard look at an aged industrial “park” in an urban environment. I toured the area and spoke with more than a few companies that had operations in it.

My first impression is that it didn’t look or feel like a park at all, but rather an industrial district or neighborhood within the city.

(For that reason, I will subsequently put quotation marks around the word “park” when I am referring to this tract of land.)

The origin of this particular “park” dates back to the late 1950s, but  it really came onto its own in the 1970s and 1980s when companies started operations there.

There is signage in place, rather dated looking, telling you that this is a “park.” The signs are located on major heavily-traveled thoroughfares which flank the “park.” A low-income residential neighborhood directly adjoins one side of the property.

What’s more, if there were covenants (which apparently cannot be found), they have been largely ignored for a long time, because it is clear that this old “park” has become a place where virtually anything goes, much to the detriment of it today.

I noticed immediately that outside storage, which is not permitted in many industrial parks, was not just relegated in the back of the buildings, which is sometimes allowed, but  was happening in the front of the buildings facing the roads.

Even with things unrelated to the business were sitting in front of many buildings, the “park” a very junky look.

It Gets Worse

I also saw chain link fences on the ground. Empty trailers/mobile homes which should have never been there and lots overgrown with vegetation. It didn’t help that most of the buildings had an all metal skin with no outside masonry. Some had been empty for years should have been torn down.

Frankly, I don’t think this “park” was ever truly designed as a cohesive park or looked like one from day one, even if it did have a few exceptional buildings in it.

And despite the fact that “technology” is in its name, this old “park” has no fiber optics, meaning that transferring large amounts of data via the internet, while possible, takes an inordinate amount of time, according to occupants.

And if that is not enough, the “park” is about 30 miles from the nearest interstate, which means that it is competing against much newer parks in the region with far better transportation infrastructure for moving and shipping product.

So other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?

Lost Cause?

Now you might think, based on the description that I gave you, that this old and largely misused and abused and poorly designed “park”, where there is a sizable amount of vacant space under roof for lease (and way too many for lease signs), is a lost cause.

And it just might be. But it doesn’t have to be that way if the business community residing in the “park” takes a leadership role making need changes. If that happens, I believe the “park” can have a second life. It might even be reinvented and transformed into a real park.

The good news is that there are some real quality, blue-chip companies that have substantial operations there. I believe, based on my conversations with them, that they want to see the appearance of the place substantially improve.

That would mean some redesign as well as a new set of enacted covenants by which all the residing businesses within the park will have to live by.

Collaboration is Key

I happen to believe that when business and government comes together to solve problems, great things can happen. I saw plenty of evidence of that recently in Miami, where public-private partnership have changed the landscape of the downtown.

If  something akin to a home-owners association, a business resident association, is formed, working in tandem with the city, then peer pressure can come to bear on those businesses who would prefer to do nothing.

Mind you, this old “park” will never be a new park. It always be old and it will always be 30 miles from the interstate. That cannot be changed. As such, it will not be the right location for certain kind of companies. That much has to be accepted.

But like an old car, this old “park” can be restored, rejuvenated, and even made desirable, if a public-private partnership can be formulated with the necessary  political will to make change happen.

No doubt, some will squeal. Some will shout. Some might even file lawsuits and leave. (Actually, you probably want the non-compatible, the non-compliant to go.)

Which means that a political fight could very well happen, pitting those who are content to let the “park” further deteriorate against those who believe it can be saved and made a more attractive place. But, again, it will take the business community and the city coming together as true partners to make it happen.

We Can Do This

The fact is that we can change the appearances of places. We can make the slumlords clean up their properties, and we can, to a degree, pick and choose what kind of businesses go where.

I have seen neighborhoods reborn for the better all over this country where good planning and a bit of political courage comes to bear. This can work.

It’s not an accident that certain businesses are now returning to downtown cores that had been previously deteriorating but are now magnets for investment. Young entrepreneurs who draw a millennial workforce are often leading the way and showing an older generation what can be done.

How cool is it to be able to bicycle to work? Or to be able to walk from work to a choice of nearby restaurants. It’s happening in more and more places, only because we are changing and transforming places for the better.

Parks, neighborhoods, districts, places where people congregate to work and play are changing, because our workforce is changing and younger people especially are looking for and expecting certain perks to come with a job.

For them, it’s not all about the money, but balancing work with life.

Smart companies, 21st century companies, understand this, as do astute economic developers and local government officials who want to make their places better. They instinctively know that changing the place improves the odds economic growth in the 21st century.

So I believe this old “park” can take on a second life, but only if the business community and local government partner to create and devise solutions to make it more accomodating for a new breed of worker that is coming on the scene.

It won’t be easy and it won’t happen overnight. But as the old saying goes, where there is a will there is a way.

I’ll see you down the road.

Dean Barber is the president/CEO of Barber Business Advisors, LLC, a location advisory and economic development consulting firm based in Dallas. He can be reached at dbarber@barberadvisors.com or at 972-767-9518.

Making a Place With Art

People react and adapt to an environment, and sometimes, they even seek it out. We often think of them as tourists. Sometimes we see them as retirees.

And increasingly, we look at millennials, many of whom flock to and are even responsible for the rejuvenation of the downtowns of many cities

The Woodward Boulevard spine in Detroit is the haunt of a young, professional, creative class. Good luck in finding an apartment there.

A few weeks back, I wrote about how Avondale, a neighborhood once in decline in Birmingham, Alabama, is now an up-and-coming entertainment district, featuring a craft brewery and a host of upscale restaurants and clubs. I can see why hipsters go there.

Whether it is inside a bar or restaurant or an entire neighborhood, physical spaces can be altered with planning and action, and with that usually comes an emotional response.

With foresight and a bit of a gambling instinct, visionaries know that if you build it and build it right, and market it to the right people at the right time, they will come. Oh yes, people will come, because places can change, and they can change for the better.

Culture in a Three-Light Town

Now I happen to believe that this is not just true in big cities, but can actually take place even in small, rural communities. You just have to have some (not all) of the right pieces in place and the right people (entrepreneurs and visionaries) willing to take the risk and stick it out.

I have been thinking about this of late, as I have been engaged in a SWOT analysis for a small, rural community that has an  underutilized, largely hidden historic downtown. It has very good bones, with brick streets and interestingly-designed buildings from a bygone era.

Then I harken back to Brown County, Indiana, where there are only three intersections with traffic lights, all located in the county seat of Nashville, which has a population about 1,000.

The fact is that Nashville. Ind., which is just up the road from Gnaw Bone, has become a destination, a place where people visit (I was one of them), largely because of one thing – art.

Art, Spirits and Music

Nashville, Ind., has been an art colony since the early 20th century. As a result, this place boasts a thriving tourist industry based on the original works of resident artists.

With the artists have come art galleries, boutiques, antique shops, entertainment venues, bed and breakfasts, inns and 26 restaurants, only three of which are part of restaurant chains.

And further proof that this village is indeed a bastion of civilization is the fact that Bear Wallow Distillery is making handcrafted corn whiskey there and Big Woods Brewing Co., is making small-batch craft beer. See my blog “Beer is the Answer.”

I theorize there is a certain synergy between art, spirits, good food and music, all of which, if used within moderation, can improve our moods and make us a happier bunch.

Add to that mix good access to quality education and healthcare, a business friendly environment with a reasonable regulatory climate and lower taxes, and you have got a very, very good thing going.

Miami Has a Good Thing Going

To say that I know Miami well would be a lie. But I have been there on more than a few occasions, and I have concluded that this city is a welcoming environment to businesses from all over world, which is why they continue to come.

I was there again last week as the guest of Enterprise Florida, attending Art Basel Miami Beach, which is the nucleus of Miami Art Week.

Now art is a very personal thing, one that I will not attempt to explain. If it is good in your eyes, it will elicit a response just as surely as if it is not. We cannot look at art without forming some sort of an opinion, even if it is a “huh?”

Planning is now underway for the Nader Latin American Art Museum, with a 2018 completion deadline. The $50 million project is headed by Gary Nader, a Dominican-Lebanese arts developer. It will be the largest Latin American Museum in the world.

I took the photograph accompanying this blog outside Nader’s Wynwood Gallery. It is a very large sculpture by Fernando Botero of Colombia, and I really liked it.

I am convinced that Miami has become an important city, an exotic, glamorous city, partly because of its appreciation of art. And that is largely due to the public-private partnerships that have come about to make art more available to virtually everyone.

The wine-and-cheese consultant crowd call this “placemaking,” which is probably as good a term as any for it. But being that I am a bit of a contrarian, I will call it “making a place.”

If It Can Happen in Damp Caves

And again, I think this can happen just about anywhere. Heck, it happened with cave paintings in southwestern France more than 17,000 years ago.

And it happened about 100 years ago in Nashville, Indiana, and I reckon it could happen it could happen again in a small town in Texas where I am doing the SWOT analysis.

Neither Nashville, Ind., nor this Texas town have any caves as far as I know. I do not think they need them.

Rather, what they do need is courageous, creative people from public, private, non-profit, and community sectors, who are willing to partner together to shape the physical and social character of their place around the arts and cultural activities.

Making a Place Desirable

I say courageous, because proponents of the new will often meet with resistance and even outright hostility in trying to offer ideas on how to rejuvenate structures and streetscapes, improve local business viability and public safety, and bring diverse people together.

Some folks just do not like change.

Making a place more desirable, physically and socially, provides a platform for entrepreneurs to jump on the bandwagon and generate jobs and income, thereby making a place even more livable and interesting.

Listening to the stories, I get the distinct impression that many areas of Miami today are far more livable today than they were just a few years ago, largely because of the planning and working done by public-private partnerships.

Which means government and businesses had to share the risks together to get certain big transformative projects done. I don’t think that is a bad model from which to work.

From Inauspicious Roots

Miami was officially incorporated in 1896 with a population of just over 300. Nashville, Ind., probably had more people back then as its 1900 census showed a population of 393.

But by 1920, Miami’s population had swelled to 29,549 people. Still, it was still considerably smaller than Montgomery, Ala., and Columbus, Ga.

Today the Miami metropolitan area is the eighth-most populous in the United States, with about 5.5 million people. The city is a leader in international finance, commerce, culture, media, entertainment, the arts, and trade.

Miami has been described as the Gateway to Latin America. Certainly being a strategically-located seaport city has helped, and the recently completed PortMiami deep dredge project,  deepening the port’s main harbor channel from 42 feet to a depth of 52 feet will only further the notion that Miami is and will be for the foreseeable future the hub of the Americas. That is not a bad thing.

More Than Cuban Americans

Miami also an incredibly diverse place. It would be a mistake to think of this city as solely a place populated by Cuban-Americans. In fact, as there are large segments from all over Latin America, including Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia and Venezuela.

African-Americans comprise about 20 percent of the population, with a substantial number having come from Caribbean countries, such as Haiti, Jamaica, and the Bahamas.

Europe, too, has played a prominent role in the development of Miami. All of the larger EU countries maintain diplomatic and trade legations in Miami, and many European banking, finance, insurance and other firms maintain regional headquarters there.

Young Professionals Downtown

Recently, Miami has seen a portion of the population return to its downtown urban area.

The central business district saw the largest population growth between 2010 and 2014, at 38.7 percent. While the Brickell neighborhood, which holds the greatest concentration of international banks in the U.S., now represents 40 percent of downtown’s population.

Developers are building more than 3,200 rental apartments in downtown Miami, with about 1,000 expected to hit the market next year, according to the Miami Downtown Development Authority.

About 27,000 units have been, but many will likely not be built as some developers reconfigure their plans to align with changing market dynamics.

In its 2014 report, the Authority said among the downtown Miami population, 46 percent were between the ages of 25 and 44. So Miami is not just a place where old people retire. And again, it’s not just a place of Cuban-Americans.

The Celebs Were There

For three days last week, the Miami Beach Convention Center was the scene for 267 art galleries from 32 countries, offering international collectors and spectators alike the best of what their artists had to offer.

I heard Alex Rodriguez, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lenny Kravitz and Sly Stallone were there looking around, but I never saw them, which is just as well. I would never have approached them, because, well, I just wouldn’t.

But I did find most of the art approachable, and I did enjoy looking at it, even if I could not afford it. But that’s fine.

I don’t have to buy something to enjoy it, which is why placemaking, or “making a place” as I shall call it, is an intriguing notion, for big cities like Miami and small villages like Nashville, Ind., both of which have largely succeeded at it.

Art is a pretty important component of it making a place work. That’s because we need it. We just do.

I’ll see you down the road.

Dean Barber is the president/CEO of Barber Business Advisors, LLC, a location advisory and economic development consulting firm based in Dallas.  If you liked what you read here, invite Dean to speak at your next meeting. He can be reached at dbarber@barberadvisors.com or at 972-767-9518.