| BEACH "How can we make streets PARKING MAP RIVER MAP PHOTOS MAP friendly to pedestrians?" This is the FEEDBACK PAGE for the H/ARTWalk www.oocities.org/creatingthefuture/hartfeedback.html Opinions appear here about how to make the streets of Fort Lauderdale "friendly to pedestrians" |
| History/ARTWALK Also called the aha!Walk The name of this walk is under discussion.... There's the Riverwalk along the river, and there are many points of interest for fans of history. architecture and art that appear near the Riverwalk. OPINIONS appear below! The History/ARTWALK is good for your mind, body and spirit Welcome to Fort Lauderdale. This web site celebrates the Architecture, History and Art of Fort Lauderdale The ahaWALK delivers "Oh, that's why it's called Broward County" (see the plaque on the north side of Main Library) The aha!WALK helps you have that "Aha!" experience, when you learn who D.C. Alexander was (visit the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society and find out!) There are eight H/ARTWALKS at present: Beach East Las Olas East Seventh Avenue (under construction) West Seventh Avenue (under construction) North Riverwalk North First Street (under construction) Sistrunk Blvd. (under construction) South Sixth Street and South Riverwalk CLICK to see the MAP Photos of Fort Lauderdale, visit these sites: www.flhsphotos.org www.oldfortlauderdale.org To see a virtual tour of public art in Fort Lauderdale, see the Broward County Cultural Affairs web page. http://www.broward.org/arts/home.htm http://www.co.broward.fl.us/arts/pad01.htm -- VIRTUAL TOUR |
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| QUESTIONS ABOUT THE H/ARTWalk and the aha!WALK 1. How should the walk be marked? 2. Where should it start and end? 3. What organization should manage the H/ARTWalk and decide where to place markers? |
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| BEACH MAP "How can we make streets more friendly to pedestrians?" PARKING MAP RIVER MAP This is the FEEDBACK PAGE for the H/ARTWalk www.oocities.org/creatingthefuture/hartFEEDBACK.html |
| From: Luddite65@aol.com I would want to see some paintings on the sides of buildings, maybe a few classical reproductions reinterpreted and applied directly to the walls (I am thinking Monet, Van Gogh, and the like- but that is just my own sense of taste. I love to see what other artists do to older styles by blending or manipulating them in new ways). The object is to infuse the walk with color, light and interesting textures. Toward that end I would like planters with flowers and greenery, at least one fountain that is multilevel and lit at night. This fountain could be as small as ten feet square, with water trickling down and through channels in stone or steel (this would be a good place for a sculpture). Maybe a radical fountain of recycled plastics and kinetic spinning elements could be somewhere along the route. Water has played an enormous part of Florida's development, and it could be a theme to tie in other design elements. The severe linear designs of some urban art and fountains should be avoided because they are fundamentally unfriendly and unwelcoming forms. I think the organic receptive aesthetic would suit the mood better. Beware cold blue lights or garish sodium-vapor illumination. Directed lighting into pools of light would be more quaint and welcoming. I am a coffee and refreshment kind of guy, so a person (not a vending machine!) should have simple refreshments available from a mobile, clean cart. A permanent stand has design opportunities and stability, but trash considerations and difficulty keeping the scale small might make that problematic. Simple, clean, tasty and accessible until late at night are the main things that would induce me to go there. No hot dogs, cellophane or rudeness. Comfortable lighting at night (minimizing light pollution in our night skies), plants and water features, paintings by local artists and benches for reposing and watching people and cars go by. That is a walk I'd be part of, that I'd support and use and that I'd enjoy. I would share it with tourists and it would be good for citizens to experience the city in a family friendly way. Stephen (luddite65@aol.com) |
Fort Lauderdale is looking for ways to make life easier for pedestrians 1. Create walkways (convert existing roads) that will have fewer or no cars, and a special tram that runs every 15 minutes. 2. These walk ways for people would be parallel to main roads: SEE THE PARKING MAP North First Street (one block north of Broward, running east and west) SW and NW 6th Avenue (Running from the Performing Arts Center north to Sistrunk) NE 7th Avenue running north and south parallel to Federal Highway (up to Holiday Park). The idea is to have interesting buildings along the route and limited car traffic. Do you (the reader of this web page) have any ideas on what could make life interesting for pedestrians? What should be along the route? What would make the route more pleasant? What kind of public art could be on display? Could there be kiosks or booths that pedestrians could walk past? What would make you want to walk the route? |
| Statement from an artist How should Fort Lauderdale become more friendly to pedestrians? What will encourage people to walk more? I’ve studied the diagrams on www.transitgreenwaylaw.com and I like the concepts that show protection from sun and rain (the awnings and walking areas under cover). The focus on garages seems interesting: by placing more garages throughout the city, perhaps people will park their cars and then walk or take the tram or small bus to get around the city. I believe a city needs to have destinations. As a visitor to Broward County, I believe art helps people to enjoy their surroundings. Art inspires. Sculpture invites the viewer to find meaning. SUGGESTIONS 1. Put up attractive signs. Anyone who has visited Venice knows that small signs giving directions are helpful to pedestrians. Aim the signs at the walker, not to drivers. 2. Create distractions and attractions 3. Create destinations. I love to walk the streets. Sure, there are boring walls but I keep going, knowing that something interesting is around the corner or down the street. Fort Lauderdale can create nodes of activity or nodes of art to pull people to walk toward. Why not have artists exhibit their works on a rotating basis? Of course, steps would be needed to protect the art from graffiti or other vandalism, and the works would need protection from rain, sun and moisture. -- R. Granda, artist, Miami Photos of Havana I believe art in public places enhances or elevates experience, the participant does not need to be aware of the work for this to be so, all that takes place in a space does not have to be about the space... Make a contest to design lampposts. Surfers,cafe owners, police,architects,pet owners so that the posts are doggy friendly and so on. They can vary throughout a city, they usually do. |
| From: Leslie Lott [admissions@talkinusa.com] I'd like to have this project look a little more like Zurich where art is a real part of the city. . A decision would need to be made as to the sort of overall impression the project wants to impart: modern/traditional, Latin/Floridian, abstract/represenational... Then of course the budget needs to be worked out. If money isn't a concern, I'd suggest widening the walkways and adding more garden areas with art and benches. Perhaps story boards could be added to denote places of interest and historic sites to visitors. The walkways, the benches, the garden areas themselves can all BE art. Then sculptures or waterfalls could be added to specific areas. Thanks, Leslie Margate, Florida Partner, TALK Lanuguage School www.talk-corporate.com |
| View from Amsterdam (scroll down) Click for HAVANA From Luddite65@aol.com RE: How to make the walkways interesting. I suppose I must consider why I am walking and under what conditions I will find myself on such a walk. I suppose that I might want exercise. Then there is the idea that I am interested in a saunter or aimless meander through trees, waterfalls and lots of plants. We are talking about Florida, so consideration of heat, sun and rain are good to prepare for. Physical limitations or enhancements might be addressed, such as available refreshments like coffee, cool water and juices. The hot sweaty walk along barren strip malls and road/highways: Welcome to much of what Florida offers in the city. Some have accomplished much by simply making a walkway curve and meander among some greenery and low stone features. Add some trees for shade and character, a small but usable workout station for exercisers to stretch on and rest on, add a bench every fifty yards, in the shade mostly and with a little shelter should anyone get stuck in the rain. Decorate the benches as some cities have by offering contests and participation from BOTH school children and artists from the city. I love the city, but every feature shouldn't display a nursery school melange of paint and abstraction. There should be a few sacrificial benches and inducements to generate interest for the future of the city, the children, and to let them explore the thrill of participating in building their city too. The rest should be prepared by artists that want to paint or redesign functional art. West Palm Beach tried this, as have many other cities, so reinventing the wheel is not neccessary when considering how to do it well. I would welcome and use a walkway that had a fully staffed, for profit, clean, coffee/ juice stand that would get the license to operate by keeping the costs low, the trash removed and the service pleasant. The city would reserve the right to dismiss any violation of those conditions upon a timely review. Newspapers would be available in an orderly fashion and with kiosks shielded behind greenery and embellished with paintings by artists from the city. There should be as many opportunities to read along the route and sit, talk and sip a cool or hot drink and KEEP IT SIMPLE. There should not be packaged foods (to minimize cellophane trash blowing on the walkways), Garish advertisements or visual assualts on the pedestrian. This is not a chance for commercialism but a celebration of Environment: the heat, the sweat, the sky, the rain- in short, being outdoors, with an occasional accomodation for breaks and reading, rollerblading and jogging. I'd like to see some low walls and multi-level garden areas that would break up the pervasive flat terrain of florida. These might provide an opportunity for a local college or university to teach in the fields of Xeriscape and urban planning. Course credits could be coordinated with the schools in the area. I think some lighting would be wonderful, but possibly solar powered or supplemented by solar power. Keeping things affordable and low maintanence will reflect a sustainability that will be rewarded over time. Sculpture: it is my passion and my weakness. Few expressions expand the dimensions of urban environments like the swirling possibilities of sculpture. Light constantly plays on the surfaces throughout the day and throughout the year. Each walk on any day can reveal a nuance and a meaning that wasn't evident an hour or a year before. Not only the weather but the viewer changes over time, so that years after a piece has become a familiar landmark on a walk, it means something new and is rediscovered. As many sculptures as can reasonably be acquired should be along such walkways. There are several ways to obtain them- not the least being that the city could invest in buying some from notable and emerging artists from the region, and then opening the option to national participants. If juried by reputable directors of local museums and even gallery owners, then there could be real interest in such varied displays and options. All selections should be voted on in a manner consistent with marginalizing special business interests from a true aesthetic vision. Plexi-glass alligators and Steel flamingos may be regional, but a celebration of sunlight and expanding the art on the walkway should never be narrowed by such a vision. Another way to promote participation by artists is to present to them the option of showcasing their work in a public forum and making such work available for private sale. If the city is very reluctant to buying the pieces outright then this is at least an option to get people interested in submitting their work. There is a downside to this however. It is unlikely that Artists will surrender their best work for a sculpture walk if only to promote themselves. It sounds good on paper, but sculpture in today's world is cumbersome to construct, transport, set up, insure and then not to have available to sell for extended periods. Reversing the procedure is problematic at best. Enticements by the city to address these technical impediments to displaying a sculpture (say, paying for the shipping, insurance, set-up and subsequent return of the piece to either the artist's studio or possible buyer) would send a signal to the art world that Fort Lauderdale is promoting art, rewarding citizens for raising children in a cultural environment that respects the physical needs of its citizens and knows how to enrich the lives of them in a sustainable manner. I hope some of these things come to pass on any new walkways. I welcome the chance to experience some of these things. None of these ideas are new really. It is a combination of walks in Europe and not a little lament about how some cities accomplish pedestrian pleasure while others seem to be hostile toward it. America has space and variety in culture, language, ideas and dynamism. We can celebrate these things in lots of ways. Stephen |
| What's your reason for walking? Let's suppose you want to park cheaply... 50 cents per hour instead of $2 an hour... "hey, I'll walk 6 blocks to avoid crowds and costs"... Let's say that there is a street fair downtown at Museum of Art (Hispanic fesitval or Irish Festival) and you need to park at Sistrunk (6 Street) and NEThird Avenue. You walk 6 blocks south on Third Ave, then go west to Andrews, turn and go south on Andrews to the Museum of Art. What do you see along the way that makes you feel great? What will keep you dry, entertained and joyful? What is currently making you feel crabby or uncomfortable ... which our new design will eliminate or reduce? Click here to learn about the Dress Light Campaign to encourage walking |
| The Dress Light Campaign to encourage walking |
| Viewpoint from AMSTERDAM In my opinion people change their habits only out of necessity (the car broke down, the public transport is on strike), or in case of advantage, either material (it’s cheaper) or (rather) advantage in efficiency (it’s faster) Very few people change them for idealistic motives, unless –of course- it makes no difference in time or money. I bike because I don’t drive and it’s the fastest way to go from A to B in Amsterdam. The fact that I love it makes me a happy person, but if I hated it I would do it nevertheless, because I have to.(I despise the public transport!) I prefer a nice day, but no weather has ever prevented me from biking, except (very rarely) frozen streets, because I’m afraid to fall. I listen every single day to the weatherforcast and take my rainponcho if showers are expected. Amsterdam is ideal for biking, because of the size, you can reach every spot within a reasonable time. The smaller the city and the narrower the streets, the more efficient is the slower way of transport. Venice, for instance, is much smaller than Amsterdam and has narrower streets...there, walking is even more efficient than biking. Paris, on the other hand, is too big. You can bike there sometimes, depending on the distance, and people do so. They even created special bicycle-paths along the Seine! But you cannot always bike. The temperature is important; biking in fresh windy weather gives a lot of energy, while hot weather takes it, and makes you arive sweaty at your destination. It is also important that many people do it. Precautions are being taken (special bicycle paths and traffic signs) and cars are being aware of you. ART ALONG THE WALK You talk about art and attractions on the way, created distractions, while I prefer beauty and unexpected scenes that were not meant to be so, and which give you the pleasure to discover them. you need to be alert to see it, and if you are you can find it in every detail. It makes every trip an adventure. In order to bike the city needs to be dense. There have to be a lot of changes, a lot to see in architecture and people, which gives you a feeling of speed. It also gives you a feeling of safety, which is very important nowadays. I would never bike alone in the dark in desolated, bushy area’s, but I do so at 3 a.m in the city. By the way: I never walk; it’s too slow. I only do it if I have a flat tire and I hate it. And I very rarely bike at home without a destination, just for pleasure. And if I do so, I immediately feel the difference. Biking with a goal makes you move like an arrow, while biking as a tourist goes zig-zag. And the two don’t mix. It’s a nuisance to get behind a bunch of tourists on rented bikes! They block the way and are a danger in too slow a speed and unexpected moves. For as far as I remember from the pictures, Ft. Lauderdale seems to me a typical American suburbial wide-spread town. It means distances are long, changes little and variations few. And then the heat! You need to create a lot of shade, and maybe the sprinkle-installation, as they had at Universal Studios, while we were waiting in the line to get in. Or fans all along the way. But, as I mentioned above, the main motive to get people out of their car is an urge. Maybe docters can prescribe walking, in order not to die soon? I wish you luck with your idea, but I’m afraid I don’t share your optimism. Send your comments to: talkinternational@yahoo.com |
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| Proposal to Ft Lauderdale Historical Society As a resident of Fort Lauderdale (since 1988), I’ve enjoyed walking along the beach, Riverwalk and next to the Court house … and it recently hit me that there is an “art walk” that’s just waiting for someone to identify. There’s also a “history walk” and I wonder if your organization would be interested in working with an art group, possibly the Public Art folks at Cultural Affairs office or at the Museum of Art, to identify a “History/ARTWALK,” or a HEART WALK (spelled H/ARTWALK)? Some particularly interesting signs might be located at the TUNNEL to explain why the tunnel is named after Mr. Kinney (with a sign to lure people to your web site www.oldfortlauderdale.org) and then on the web site there could be a link to “History/ART WALK”. FUNDING I wonder if there is a small pot of money to start labeling the sidewalks with small attractive weather-resistant signs? For a start, the web site could be linked to your oldfortlauderdale.org but I could handle the web page making. What do you think? Steve McCrea 2314 Desoto Drive Fort Lauderdale FL 33301 954 463 0310 globalcooling@pstcomputers.com A suggested sign: You are on the ?History/ARTWALK oldfortlauderdale.org |