Appearance counts in growing a town
Ihave written about the need to move forward in our communities with street construction, underground utilities, and a master landscaping plan. Let’s move on to the need to enact green space and signage ordinances.
Our whole concept of growth, industrial recruitment, and quality of life must be re-examined if we intend to have successful communities in the years to come. Let’s throw out failed methods we have been using and adopt new ideas and concepts.
When we view the marks of a civilized society, in a great number of areas western Europe leads the way. To illustrate, let me remind you of one of the most obvious indications of an advanced civilization: the absence of significant litter. Take a look at any Third World country, and you will find trash and litter everywhere. Now look at Switzerland or France, where street sweepers clean every scrap of litter from the streets every day, and the sides of roads are litter free.
A number of years back we attended the French Open. I’m an avid tennis player, and the French Open was one of my dream visits. When we walked into the playing area, I remarked how beautiful the setting was, with trees and landscaping in contrast to most United States tennis facilities, most of which are bare concrete with seating.
The highlight for me was watching Serena and Venus Williams blast an outmatched European duo off the court. There was a stadium full of fans, but what really impressed me was the condition of the stands after the match.
We were the last group to leave, and as I glanced back I did a double take. The seating area was as clean as it was when we arrived, and there were gobs of concessions consumed during the match. Contrast that to the scene in War Memorial Stadium after a football game. In every Third World country I have visited, it’s always the same. Trash and litter abound.
As people become more sophisticated and civilized, the most obvious characteristic of their culture is the absence of litter. Other items, such as tree-lined streets, underground utilities, and more green spaces, follow in short order.
We must recognize that we need visual improvements to make our community pleasing to the eye and to create a positive image. For a town to be competitive in today’s job recruitment environment, we must offer a setting that a plant manager would like to live in.
It could be that your town will have to wait for your grandchildren to correct eyesores, but you don’t have to wait.
We have talked about how we need to extend four-lane major thoroughfares, and while we’re at it, bury the maze of utility wires, and instead of endless turn lanes put in a boulevard with landscaping, then make the entryway a tree-lined avenue. Those are the first steps toward making a good first impression.
Two other items must be addressed:
1. Cluttered signage.
The most progressive communities around our country and around the world all have sign ordinances. Some are so restrictive that they ban any signs not attached to the place of business and forbid signs from extending higher than the building itself. We are probably not ready for that much regulation, but surely we can see the wisdom in passing an ordinance that would prohibit signage taller than six feet and prohibit portable signs altogether. You can’t imagine how much this would help to beautify these key streets.
If you are a merchant, you are probably thinking how much business you are going to lose when you take down your 100-foot sign. On the contrary, when everybody has the same signage, there is no loss of business. In fact, the present situation gives large well-funded multi-national companies an advantage over small local businesses.
2. Parking lots. Let’s give credit to companies and individuals who have already landscaped their lots; they are definitely in the minority. A greenspace ordinance is a key to a truly beautiful city. With this ordinance, a reluctant property owner would have no choice but to plant or leave a designated amount of his parking lot as green space. Fayetteville has such an ordinance that requires 25 percent of each lot and one out of 10 parking spaces to be landscaped. As a side benefit, a landscaped parking lot improves the business sales of the tenants.
When we add the green space ordinance to street improvements, signage ordinances, and, underground utilities, the resulting tree-lined avenues will exemplify a progressive city. Not only will we be able to attract the quality jobs we need, but we’ll restore our sense of community pride.