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12/9/04 Can't Get There from Here
7/29/04 Political Speechmaking  
7/26/04 Words of Praise
6/22/04 Hygene and its Discontents
6/21/04 Summer Solstice -- Financial Fog
1/16/04 No Free Speech at Any Price
1/11/04 New Year's Notes, Cows and Bikes
11/18/03 Pull the Bull
10/20/03 Gardening Delights
8/26/03 Of Elves, Otters and SUVs
8/17/03 Great News on the Population Front
8/8/03 Energy Distribution in Iraq
5/14/03 Taxing Issues
4/20/03 Keeping Santa Cruz Weird
1/28/03 When the "A-Ha!" Moment Scares the Crap Out of You
11/10/02 Elfin Visions
11/2/02 Invisible Demons
5/15/02 Liquid Fuel from Sunlight, Seawater and Fresh Air

4/20/03

Santa Cruz: Downtown Alternatives to Help "Keep Santa Cruz Weird"

Every time I go to the Pacific Garden Mall area, I'm reminded of why I love Santa Cruz. Sure, it's mostly just a bunch of shops and restaurants, and some of them are even mega-chains (The Gap, Borders, Starbucks), but Pacific Avenue and its surroundings are permeated with a wonderful urbanism at its wacky Northern California best. There are street performers of all stripes, from accomplished musicians to awful and annoying buskers. There are petitioners, pamphleteers, and of course, panhandlers. Through its ups and downs, downtown Santa Cruz has retained a vitality that is rarely seen outside cities ten times its size. It has a pleasant walk-ability that is enhanced by our enviable climate. It has retained a kaleidoscopic diversity of retailers, attracting a kaleidoscopic diversity of patrons. It easily accommodates the occasional parade or street fair, which always brings in additional tourists from San Jose and San Francisco. And it has the potential to do even better.

Imagine what a tourist attraction we could make downtown Santa Cruz, with just a few simple changes. It all starts with closing off most of Pacific Avenue to automobile traffic, at least on the weekends during the tourist season. It's so difficult to navigate a car through there with all the commotion anyway. With less access to the on-street metered parking, people will have to use the lots, and these all should and could be made attended pay lots for the weekends. Bike-rickshaws and horse-carriages can provide transportation between the parking lots and the stores, with special permits to use the demarcated center of the street (think of the tourist appeal of these colorful alternatives -- they would probably be worth subsidizing, at least with low interest loans for start-up costs).

Between that center lane and the sidewalk would now be room for additional vendors, performers, petitioners and so on, keeping the sidewalks clear for pedestrians. I would suggest having small fees to rent street space for half-days or full days on the weekends, with a handful reserved for nonprofit organizations to use for free. Give preferential discounts to businesses and organizations in Santa Cruz county. Most people desiring street spaces would have to request in advance and go by lottery, but keep one or two spots open for urgent responses every week, and a wait-list of those who can fill-in if a scheduled vendor cancels. Add in a few fully-free public spots (no sales allowed, just playspace for those not selling or passing a hat - maybe even a designated soapbox open first-come-first-served to speakers, with a half-hour time limit).

Of course, we would maintain the currently scheduled special events, and add new ones when requested, but tourists and locals could count on a festival atmosphere in downtown Santa Cruz every weekend. The extra competition for permanent shops should be more than offset by the additional foot traffic and tourist cash coming into town. Eventually, the revenue from this could pay for more tree planting and a more charming (and environmentally friendly) pavement for a permanently car-free Pacific Avenue, and expansion of the "street fair" into the nearby retail side streets, and perhaps connecting with the Boardwalk area (providing more demand for those carriages and rickshaws). What fun!

I now have a more interactive space at my Xanga blog. I will work on adding each entry here to that site, and provide a link from each one here to each one there for now. Xanga will include more brief notes and personal ramblings. I still welcome your comments via e-mail (with your permission, I will post them). E-mail me at: apegrrl@ 
rattlebrain.com

or post a comment on my Xanga site

please feel free to spread these memes, but be nice and give credit where credit is due - refer people back here to the apegrrl This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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