E68: Streets, Spaces, and Vibrancy

The Spark is taking it to the streets! Arizona overall and Tucson in particular had already been engaged in a variety of efforts to re-activate streets in ways that better connect us as people - harmoniously, whether those users are car drivers, transit riders, cyclists or people of various modes and abilities. And then? A little thing known as COVID-19 came a-calling. At first, our streets were nearly deserted. And then they weren’t. All of a sudden we had different needs, while other long neglected needs became urgent. As we transitioned through stages of the pandemic and social change in 2020, public and open spaces became more essential than ever, but in brand new ways.

And that’s what this discussion is all about. How can we utilize streets – which can also be re-considered as perhaps the single largest public real estate investment of any place – in combination with open spaces in order to create community health, well-being and vibrancy?

This conversation picks up where another report left off. Click the link below for "Creating Vibrant Communities," the 113^th Arizona Town Hall Background Report. Throughout the course of last year and 2021, Community Town Halls are convening virtually to discuss the broader question of how to create community vibrancy. This podcast zeroes in on one chapter, the role of streets, transportation and open space. And wow, have things changed since COVID began.

It’s time to talk about streateries, parklets, neighbors connecting in new ways, the realities of a how a downtown business district survives and thrives, how a nonprofit cancels some of its biggest events and does the same, and how a city can best support everyone’s efforts to create community vibrancy, as of March 22, 2021.

Link: Creating Vibrant Communities, the 113th Arizona Town Hall Background Report