A couple of months ago, I had some errands and decided to do them downtown, on foot, instead of in my car in South Tampa. After work, I walked to CVS for some basic purchases, walked to the library to do some travel research for an upcoming trip, then walked to a restaurant to eat dinner. By the time I finished, I decided that no matter how inexpensive the condos get downtown, I don’t want to live there. As everyone else mentioned, the trash, homeless people, and empty streets made it a very unpleasant experience … not to mention all the concrete and lack of plants/greenery. Downtown, even the trees live in cages. I know from experience that cities such as Chicago, Baltimore, Boston and Philadelphia are NOT like that. Plus, they have public transportation so that people who want to hang out downtown after work can easily get back home to the open spaces in the burbs.

By the time I finished my tasks, I was honestly looking forward to the short commute home, partly because I could enjoy the greenery along the way!

Both the Tribune and the Times are currently battling one another to discredit the Brookings Report findings that say our area is “not walkable”.

It’s true, our area “is not walkable”, now what are we going to do about it?

Sure, several streets in Dunedin are walkable, heck my own street in Temple Terrace is “walkable”.

What about the larger context? What about alternate forms of transit tying our area together?

There is something in the attitude of our so-called local leaders that makes them ignore our real problems and put a smiley face on everything.

Our area needs a ton of work to improve it’s quality of life, and this work won’t be done until we admit there is a problem, and are able to bypass status quo groups like the TBP, and the BOCC for that matter.

We don’t need more cheerleaders and shell games, we need real change, and now!

In other cities that I’ve lived in, gentrification usually starts when the artists and the gay community come in a liven a place up with studios, boutiques and cafés. Just about the time that the area becomes a place where people would want to hang out or live, developers come in and price out the pioneers. It seems like downtown Tampa skipped step 1. Despite the blight, downtown real estate has never been accesible to anyone but transnational corporations and speculators.

That’s Channelside. Not the downtown core, but Channelside… Artists were conveting warehouse space into studios and lofts… then started selling their properties off to developers.

In other cities that I’ve lived in, gentrification usually starts when the artists and the gay community come in a liven a place up with studios, boutiques and cafés. Just about the time that the area becomes a place where people would want to hang out or live, developers come in and price out the pioneers. It seems like downtown Tampa skipped step 1. Despite the blight, downtown real estate has never been accesible to anyone but transnational corporations and speculators.

What’s the deal with fly bar anyway? It’s a swingers-type-money joint for sure but everytime I’ve been there, it’s dead. On Saturday afternoons, in that part of town, you can hear a pin drop two blocks away. God blees’em but they’re 10 years ahead of their time.

I would have to take issue with one point from the Times article. If there was ever a time when it would be better to walk downtown, it would have to be during or immediately after a major event like a hockey game. Save your sanity, gasoline and put one less car in that mess. Take the bus.