TEXAS TYPE
Chuck Marohn wants us to do towns smart. Since 2014, when I saw him speak at a forum, I have followed his Strong Towns organization via email newsletter (or online at strongtowns.org).
Marohn is a no-B.S. guy. A native of Brainerd, Minnesota, he cites both the successes and failures of development in towns.
When he came to Fredericksburg for a forum, he said he took a walk around and I remember him saying, “Generally in a town of this size, there are a couple of blocks of salvageable properties, then large swaths of property that are not very redeeming,” he said. “I told myself I would walk until I got to the ‘edge of good,’ but I kept walking and walking.”
That was high praise from him. He liked what everyone likes about Fredericksburg — how it has preserved its downtown, creating a bustling attraction, its wide streets, tidy neighborhoods, and how its business district doesn’t have the same chain stores on every corner as most other small places.
Add to that a proud heritage and promotion of history, and it’s a place that, obviously, people love.
Rockdale can follow that model of development with some TLC for some of our downtown stores, some of which have already been lovingly restored. It takes capital though and that is one thing in short supply.
Marohn chides many for taking the standard approach of loading up on infrastructure to build that new strip mall on the edge of town and lessening the value of more condensed downtowns, or larger towns doing taxpayer-funded sports stadiums.
He also says cities and towns make a mistake when they ignore downtowns for the sparkle and shine of new shopping centers, ignoring the built-in efficiencies of downtowns (walkability, streets and sidewalks, less costly infrastructure and more).
As we became a car culture, we strayed from these town engineering methods that had been developed over thousands of years, from Rome, Italy to every other walkable city.
Yet Marohn says making modest investments over time has paid off far greater than towns that have a gambler’s attitude.
Small towns can heed his advice, as we are at a disadvantage in recruiting jobs.
Marohn validates slow but steady growth and not trying to reinvent the wheel overnight.
Rockdale has plenty of challenges, but it has a lot going for it.
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