The Single Gal and The Windy City
I took a trip this weekend to Chicago. Not only do they have more bars per capita than any other American city, they have key components that make it one of the best cities in the United States. Though San Jose will never be Chicago, it can try to model itself after the Windy City in a few ways:
A Baseball Park – Yes, they have Wrigley Field. We can never match it, but sure can try to copy it. Wrigleyville, the neighborhood surrounding the park, is full of sports bars, restaurants, outdoor seating and shops. It wasn’t even baseball season, but you can tell that the ballpark is what this whole neighborhood is built around. We could have this in San Jose.
Downtown Shopping – OK, so it’s freezing in Chicago. This is a place where they should only have underground, heated shopping malls, but there is great outdoor shopping on State St. and Michigan Ave. It reminds me a little of Market St. in San Francisco minus the heroin addicts and stench of urine. But every great city has shopping downtown, and I have never heard anyone mention this at San Jose City Hall. Quit talking about the Pavilion, or people and their cars, or Santana Row, and just get it done.
The L – I know, comparing our LightRail to the L Subway system is like comparing Heidi Klum and Star Jones in a bikini contest. Currently, where does that LightRail take you? It takes you from a parking lot (where you drive) to another parking lot (where you have to shuttle). The L is efficient, fast and cheap—and gets you EVERYWHERE you need to go. No wonder there are so many bars when no one has to worry about driving after a few beers or glasses of wine.
Neighborhoods! – Chicago has great neighborhoods: Wrigleyville; Lincoln Park; Wicker Park. It’s easy to know where things are because each neighborhood is marked so clearly with banners on light posts. Each of these neighborhoods has a signature feeling that goes along with it. Why can’t we do this in San Jose?
Sometimes you need to step outside your own city to see what’s truly missing. Going to a city like Chicago made me feel like I was in a real city. It isn’t unattainable for San Jose to become great in its own way. But does anyone in politics want that? Or are we happy just being the way that we are?
SOFA was named by the business owners of the time; about 15 years ago. Not by the RDA or any idiot city employee.
SOFA used to be a place everyone could be prowd of.
Unfortunetely, the police came down on the SOFA district because it seemed to be a real busy club district. Thier late night closing procedures killed the SOFA.
I won’t go near it or downtown again. I don’t need to be treated like an animal because I like to go out at night.
So I guess I’m stuck at Santana Row. Via las Vegas Hotel style neighborhoods!
Perhaps all those great neighborhoods in Chicago happened “organically,” without planning—but don’t expect the same to happen here in San Jose given a sufficient number of decades. Zoning and planning ordinances in San Jose are strict enough to more or less guarantee this can’t take place. The newer commercial areas are required to be cleanly cut off—excuse me—“buffered” from nearby residents; hence neighbors and out-of-towners alike arrive anonymously in cars—so much for neighborhood identity! While places like Downtown, Willow Glen, Alum Rock, etc., predate a lot of heavy regulation of land uses, parking, and such, the status quo of planning dictates that San Jose will never match the sense of place found in the neighborhoods of America’s great cities (except maybe in those older areas and along transit corridors, where planning operates according to a different paradigm). And “sense of place” is found in the public common areas—streets, parks, locations where people converge—yet in most of San Jose the emphasis is presently on private space, and the built environment turns inward, away from the streets, which have become just traffic sewers. Largely, this is because the organic formation of neighborhoods is outlawed by planning regulations—no increases in traffic without hefty mitigation, no one subjected to noise or light impacts even if they don’t really mind them, no crossing of major streets except at crosswalks spaced several blocks apart, etc. No, planning can’t force community, but it can certainly prevent it.
I was in Chi town last weekend as well, and although I agree with single gal, she is simply listing symptoms of a larger problem.
Without the ability to build up, rather then out; we will never have quality public transportation, there are simply just too many places to go. We will never have downtown shopping, there is not enough foot traffic to support the stores. And we won’t get a baseball stadium because when the comish comes to town, we look like a SF suburb.
Granted, we can’t build up because of the airport. Which is why people really should have some ability to plan for the future. The airport should never have been built so close to a downtown, it simply stunts the growth. Especially when there is so much land 20 minutes south of downtown.
The city council of Chicago really did want Lincoln park there, that is why there aren’t homes. Believe me, if builders could build there, they would, and people would buy their houses. The city of Chicago also made sure that no building over 20 floors would be built on the lake front. In These are just a taste of all the planning that goes into making a great downtown.
People really do plan out great cities, its unfortunate that the San Jose electorate couldn’t vote in these types of people.
#2-
You must be a nightclub owner – otherwise you would understand that the cops just respond to where they are needed.
The cops didn’t wreck SOFA – the nightclubs did, and until you get the landlords to change the uses, it is going to continue to have problems and be an unwelcome place for anyone over 23 after 10:00 at night.
It doesn’t do a thing for downtown…
If the downtown airport is such a problem to the growth of downtown, why not move it down to Coyote Valley? There’s plenty of room down there…easy access to 101, etc.
The Chicago benefits Single Gal enumerates all have one thing in common: They require that people get out of their cars. San Jose will never have that community feeling as long as it’s a city bound by freeways and expressways.
Downtown Chicago’s shopping district is easily walkable. Same with Wrigleyville. San Joseans, however, drive from mall to mall, then the grocery story, then the hardware store, etc.
People use The L because they can easily walk to it, from their homes and destinations. This is something our local transit planners refuse to accept.
Those wonderful Chicago neighborhoods are all walkable. People walk to their nearby shopping, parks, schools and churches.
While #1 is right in pointing out that history played a large role in this sort of development, I disagree that planning cannot help create a similar environment in San Jose. If San Jose is hell bent on developing the Coyote Valley it should make sure that most services are available within a few blocks of where people live. Create neighborhoods where people see each other out on the sidewalks and know the name of the corner grocer.
If other large cities can do this, why can’t we?
C’on Single Gal, downtown Chicago is a loser. I was there last summer, and I was disappointed with the windy city. Where’s the arena, convention, cute new city hall, science musuem and a cinema in downtown chicago loop. Most the activities occur in the northside and in the neighborhoods in Chicago, not in chicago loop(downtown). They recently broaden the area of downtown to include McCormick convention center 2 miles south and Rush/divident st. to the north which includes John Hancock/ water tower bldgs. They basically cheater interms of downtown definition. The real downtown area only has a theater district and shopping on State st. which is mediocre at best. The Walbash St. retail district is dark and struggling with high vacancy rates. You see, downtown chicago has very few assets such as the new Millineum park and outdate Art Institute of Chicago, and that’s it! There’s an ugly vacant lot called block 37 which is right in the middle of State st. in downtown. Also, there’s an eye sore right next to it (abandoned bldg.). In downtown San Jose, however, you have the shark tank, new city hall, MLK J. library, The Tech and a decent nightlife in the heart of downtown San Jose. Don’t forget the Guadelupe riverpark and the Fairmont hotel which is so grand. Check out the new California theater. It’s gorgious! I also think Camera 12 cinema is outstanding, and where’s that in downtown Chicago. Hell, they don’t even have a grocery store in downtown Chicago! Maybe the grass always seems greener on the other side. Remember, I’m very well travel and know exactly what other cities have.
Great post Single Gal. I visited Chicago back in my Navy boot camp days and loved it, especially the Sears Tower. Here’s food for thought…Diridon/Arena and the Alameda as San Jose’s version of Wrigleyville!! Just imagine what a ballpark will do for our downtown…oh, I’m sorry, the Giants have territorial rights to San Jose.
# 7- Why then did City Hall allow the building of a shopping center on Coleman and Taylor streets instead of the downtown core where they would be walkable from the planned housing developments or the light rail stops? It breaks your heart to find out what kind of stores they’re building there- Target, Marshalls, Cost Plus, etc. The same kind of stores that would have made downtown a self sufficient community.
Actually, Chicago was planned by Fredrick Olmstead during the Great American City movement. Chicago is great, precisely because it was planned.
That being said, San Jose really does suffer from an inferiority complex. It is not a major city (except to those few who live there). People don’t think of SJ as a destination city. And, that’s why I like it. It’s slow, safe and, yes, boring. I like it that way.
Are you guys serious right now? There is no city more famous for its planning than Chicago. They have one of the most famous and revolutionary in it’s time plans that is still studied today: The Burham Plan. The city has spent decades shaping the way it is. It didn’t just happen.
Fed up, you make some valid points about empty lots and vacant old buildings, but every one of the 10 largest cities in the U.S. has those. There is no way SJ can even be compared to Chicago, “The City Beautiful.”
My parents were both born and raised there and my cousin lives in Wrigleyville 1/2 a block from Cubs Park. I don’t buy that “downtown” Chicago consists only of the area inside the Loop made by the L. The Loop is a part of downtown but the downtown itself is much larger. It’s kind of a matter of opinion just like the boundaries of SF’s downtown as was discussed here recently. Water Tower Place to me is a dowtown vertical mall. How can you say the Miracle Mile isn’t downtown? What could be more urban? The Art Institute puts the SJ Museum of Art to shame both inside and out. I’m a major fan of the Thorne Rooms and they’re a must see for me every time I’m there. SJ has nothing interesting on permanent display. How can you say Buckingham Fountain isn’t a beautiful water feature? We have a flat piece of concrete that shoots aerated water and attracts kids in diapers right on the Fairmont’s doorstep. SJ is total backwater compared to Chicago—but as I said in the beginning, SJ simply can’t be compared to a grand old well-planned city like Chicago.
Chicago is a loser? I think you are wrong. I think San Jose needs more time to mature into a city, its still relatively new as a city, or a major city. But the suburbia title worries me!
I agree with Single Gal…however…
San Jose is not Chicago.
Many of the neighborhoods you speak of grew organically out of history, not political or civic planning, per se.
My guess is that no one “planned” to have Lincoln Park or Wicker Park or almost any neighborhood in Chicago to be that way – it just happened. Waves of immigrants built neighborhoods and lives for themselves creating unique architectural and community attributes to each neighborhood.
The L came to connect them all together and allow new neighborhoods to grow. (I guarantee you, however, that if someone tried to build an “L” in San Jose – the NIMBY-ism would be rampant – who wants a transit system that is loud, above ground, and cuts through neighborhoods that are rich, poor, and everywhere in between?)
There is absolutely no way to plan such things. You can say, “ok, we want to have shopping, housing, and signs telling us where we are…” You know what this is called? Santana Row. Or, you can have a neighborhood develop, from shared communcal experience, cultural, and everyday life – then it’s called Wrigleyville in Chicago or the West Village in New York. In San Jose there are a few of these neighborhoods, Willow Glen, for example, the Rose Garden, etc.
Here’s an example. Do you think City government in New York created the term and the neighborhood SoHo? What about the Lower East Side?
Planning neighborhoods and forcing community doesn’t really work. If it did – SoFA would feel like a real place, not a name that City Hall made up for an area that people don’t really like to go.
I love Chicago too. Boston and New York…same thing. Cities that grew organically, over time, into neighborhoods, enclaves, and all with a distinct feel and character – to try to create that is nearly impossible – but it is fun to watch those who try.
Right on single gal. Why can’t you find a date? What’s up with you? You sound intelligent are you having a problem with looks. Tell us what you look like and why you can’t get a date?
I seem to recall reading somewhere that many of the SJPD’s downtown tactics are based on lessons learned in Chicago and other major cities. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the article, so I can’t provide a reference.
I actually had a date last week. But the guy lived in San Francisco! I am looking for a “local” guy. Gas prices are too high to drive to San Fran for a man.
Mark T, I know Chicago really well. Ask the locals and old timers, and they will tell you that downtown Chi-town only goes up to the river and not even that. It loops around the elevated track. The area north of the river has constantly been referred to river-north area or near north side (Gold Coast/ miracle mile area) until recently. They’ve added more condo/hotel highrises to bridge the area and fill in the gaps between two areas in the last 5 years. So, they started designating the river-north/near north as the whole downtown, thereby having downtown boundary going all the way to Lincoln Park zoo. That’s a 3 mile B.S.! They’ve done a good job combining the two areas by filling in the gaps, but c’on, it’s cheating! However, it’s official since the state government awknowledge it and puts it in its state map. Maybe we should include Santana Row and Willow Glen as part of downtown and bridge the gaps between those areas. Also, I never said the buckinham fountain wasn’t good. It’s just that downtown Chicago loop is boring. In Europe and South America and finally, San Jose, there’s almost no gaps and eyesores in the heart of downtowns. There’s no excuse for all these larger North American cities to have them. They should be better than that!
Regarding the comments made about moving SJI to the south, I think that is a better idea than BART to SJ. Having the airport in the boonies, but connected by a high speed train, would probably benefit more people than BART to SJ.
Freeing up the airport land for expanded parks and development would really help downtown, and the quality of life downtown, and all over Santa Clara county, would certainly improve.
SAN JOSE IS NOT A CITY! Repeat as many times as necessary to make it sink in.
We are suburbia…because most people who reside here want it that way.
JohnM, San Jose is a real city as it gets because of it real downtown with all amenities you can have. It has everything you want, and darn, check it out for yourself instead of staying in the fringe of San Jose. San Jose is the Capital of Silicon Valley, and the pop is 944,000. Sink it in big time, guy! San Jose is a true city in the center and suburbia on the outside. San Jose has a center. That’s right, a real center, and that’s way alot of people like it! That’s the reality. Downtown is a good as you any downtown in the U.S.. The metro area is good as any in the U.S..
#19,
An even better idea would be to transform Moffet Field into “San Jose/Silicon Valley International Airport.” I know the residents of Sunnyvale/Mt. View, especially those in the flight path, would hate this idea…But set them up with some $ and new plots at a vacant SJC, and I think they would be alright. Yes, transform a vacant SJC into beautiful parklands and mix-use developments! This would do wonders for downtown SJ also…REAL SKYSCRAPERS ala Chicago. Not the current 15-18 story stumps that we have now.
Yes, I agree that Mineta San Jose International Airport should be moved to the south (ie:) Coyote Valley area with access via Caltrain.
I find it real bizarre about the recent recommendation by the airport commission to the City about the height of the proposed condominium skyscrapers in Center City impacting SJC’s growth. Please, just last last month the airport commission scaled back SJC’s expansion plans to 1/3 of what they were because of the lack of demand for air travel. If the airport can’t be moved to an alternative location such as South San Jose or south of the City limits or to Moffett Field, couldn’t they at least acquire land to build another runway farther to the west of the airport that would not require a direct path over Center City. I thought that the City had plans to acquire some old FMC land west of SJC for possuble future expansion.
I have hope that our already nice downtown will be even better. It’s unfortunate that the naysayers who continue to misrepresent San Jose as a suburb continue to spew their hatred. If they hate the City that much, please moved away so that the rest of us can enjoy it.
Its funny that people on here have to argue that there city is a real city. Must not be!