It Does Get Better

Today is National Coming Out Day and, yes, I’m gay.  I was harassed for being gay, before I even knew I was gay, during the 5th-8th grade (1977-1981). I came out in 1983, at age 16 — a year after the term “AIDS” was first used.  Although scary times for me, it got better.

Last week I joined hundreds of others in the Central West End for an important event to show youth it gets better:

“They marched as one. Unified by candlelight, reflecting on some of their darkest days of bullying and harassment.” (Vigil Condemns Anti-Gay Bullying)

Here is a short video clip I shot:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piM5o3uth3Y

The vigil was organized by Growing American Youth:

“Growing American Youth is a social support organization for youth who live near St. Louis and who are 21 and under and may identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, asexual or questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity. Growing American Youth has been serving St. Louis area youth for 30 years.”

In addition to the string of gay teen suicides we now have the story of violence against young gay men in New York:

“Outraged city leaders said Saturday that the city wouldn’t tolerate the “vicious” hatred that had apparently caused a street gang to allegedly beat and torture two teenage boys and a man inside an abandoned home over the course of several hours because they were gay.” (NYC officials outraged over anti-gay gang torture)

Cities are still the most accepting place to be.

– Steve Patterson

Reaching The Galleria Not Easy For Pedestrians

In May 1988 a small mall in the St. Louis suburb of Richmond Heights began planning to expand, from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on May 15, 1988:

“Earlier this month, Hycel Properties Co. announced an ambitious plan to quadruple the size of the Saint Louis Galleria. The Richmond Heights shopping mall will add four department stores, 100 new specialty stores, a 300-room luxury hotel, two covered parking garages and up to three office buildings.”

At the time both sides of Brentwood Blvd was lined with buildings.  The developer needed help from the Richmond Heights:

“The St. Louis Galleria said Monday that it would seek eminent domain power from the city of Richmond Heights to acquire 94 of the 113 commercial buildings and houses in the Clay North neighborhood.” – P-D Aug 30 1988

Richmond Heights granted the power of eminent domain but did nothing to ensure pedestrians could also reach the expanded Galleria.  The mall has five entrances to the outdoors and a few more connecting to the parking garage along the west side of the mall. The expansion was built in the early 1990s, after the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 became law.

The expanded Galleria would be open for nearly 15 years before the MetroLink light rail line would open nearby but since the mall is surrounded by housing & businesses they should have planned for customers to arrive on foot rather than behind the wheel. In a minimal way, they did but I’ll get to that in a bit.

I did “drive” my wheelchair through the parking lot to reach the nearest entrance – once. On my next visit I followed the perimeter sidewalk trying to access an entrance without risking my life wheeling through the parking lot.

That’s right, the other four entrances have sliding door that open automatically but this entry has standard doors! The door on the right has a wheelchair sticker at the bottom but no opener so I don’t get why.  But I was able to get past the doors and the set of doors right behind but it involved considerably more work than wide sliding doors.

On my next visit I will see if I can go around the former Mark Shale space to reach the entry by Restoration Hardware. A lot of work to reach the mall, someone working at the office building just across I-64 would never travel this far on foot to the mall on their lunch break or after work.  Nor would they walk through the parking lot from the public sidewalk along Brentwood.  The Galleria at Clayton & Brentwood could have easily been designed with pedestrian routes to five entrances.  Very little effort, very little cost — but lasting benefits.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: What Do You Think Of The MVVA Proposal For The City+Arch+River Competion?

By now most have formed an opinion of MVVA’s winning proposal in the City+Arch+River competition.  Over the next five years we will (hopefully) see work completed on both sides of the river. For the poll this week I hope to get a sense of what you think of the proposal.  I know there are those who are disappointed, but are they a few or the majority?  The poll is in the upper right sidebar.

– Steve Patterson

Door Openers Added At Culinaria

In August 2010. a year after opening, door openers have been added to the two front doors at Culinaria downtown.

These went up just days after I posted about the absence of them.  These were already in the works so my post had nothing to do with them being installed.  They were just waiting to determine if the State of Missouri was going to foot the bill for their installation. You see, we taxpayers own the 9th Street Parking Garage where Culinaria is located.

– Steve Patterson

MVVA’s Winning Concept To Finish Destroying Riverfront Street Grid Pt2

Yesterday I looked at MVVA’s plan to close Washington Ave between the river and I-70. Today I will look at proposed changes an the edge of the Mississippi River.

“Our proposal removes the existing waterfront streetscape in order to reinstate the full form of the cobblestone levee. Sculptural river gauges mirror the monumentality of Saarinen’s river walls and frame the use of the levee surface in relation to the fluctuating river edge. The single central stage is replaced by a gentle swell in the cobble surface that can accommodate a broader spectrum of markets, concerts, and seasonal attractions.”

Consultants had this to say:

This design would improve connectivity for pedestrians and bikes at the north and south ends, but reduce vehicular connectivity overall with the closure of Washington Avenue and Poplar Street. Gates would be added to the arches under Eads Bridge, removing vehicular access to Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard from the north. In addition, moving the garage entrance closer to the river would result in diminished access due to frequent flooding.

The drawing looks good but the reality will be quite different.   Like the many failed pedestrian malls we’ve had in the US, removing cars is no guarantee pedestrians will fill the space. In fact, removing auto access makes it more difficult for some to reach the location.  So do I think it should remain unchanged?  Hardly.  I’m an advocate of mixing all modes of transportation — pedestrians, bicycles, transit, and vehicles.

Like the stretch of Washington Ave next to Eads Bridge, Lenore K. Sullivan is excessively wide.

I personally would like to see a very narrow street remain, too narrow for tour buses & trucks.  Include pockets of on-street parking on both sides but include bulb-outs between the pockets so the main curb to curb is narrow, even if no cars are parked.  For events the street can be closed as has always been the case for years.

The stated goal of the competition was connectivity, closing off streets does the opposite.

– Steve Patterson