This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In 2007, the Salt Lake Chamber and several partner organizations published the Downtown Rising vision for Salt Lake City's central business and cultural districts. The introduction to the document states that, "The vision makes the most of our stunning natural setting and reaffirms downtown Salt Lake City as the undisputed crossroads for business, government, entertainment, culture, education and transportation in the state and Intermountain West."
The Downtown Rising document identifies 500 South and 600 South as "Grand Boulevards," and highlights the desire for a vibrant commercial district surrounding these important gateway streets. Recently, the Salt Lake Chamber launched an initiative to make this Grand Boulevards Corridor Plan a reality. We applaud this effort, and encourage the community to rally around this initiative.
Some businesses are fully embracing this idea. The Little America and Grand America hotels have already taken their own initiative and raised the bar. The majestic trees, stately architecture, café seating, broad sidewalks and flowers in bloom along the streets in front of their properties embody what can be. As businesses, and state and local transportation agencies work together, we could truly see something transformational as we welcome the world to our downtown.
Imagine turning these streets into grand boulevards that continue to safely and efficiently serve vehicular traffic while enabling commerce and social activities that build economic prosperity along with a stronger sense of community. When you look at streets as more than pavement for the movement of vehicles, you realize that most of our streets are grossly under-performing assets. The good news is that this isn't an "either/or" proposition. This is a "both/and" proposition.
Great streets both carry vehicular traffic, and contribute to the following:
• Commerce and economic activity that happens along the street
• A sense of community and neighborhood identity for those who live and work on and near the street
• Beauty and attractiveness of the street
• Safety and comfort of people walking and biking
• Attentiveness to those who choose alternatives to driving, or are unable to drive because they are too young, too old, have physical limitations, or can't afford a car
• Improved air quality
• Greater viability of public transit
Great streets have a continuous "street wall" made up of buildings scaled for humans and designed for human comfort and delight. They have active ground floor uses and social spaces. They are often lined with trees. They have wide, comfortable sidewalks with benches, outdoor lighting, planter boxes, courtyards, etc. that create an interesting and engaging pedestrian experience.
We think that the chamber is on to something. This is an opportunity for our capital city to really shine. We encourage state and city leaders, local businesses and citizens to embrace it.
Jon Larsen, Michael Hathorne, Amanda Harris, Soren Simonsen, Diego Carroll, Benjamin Magelsen and Kathy Olson are the board of directors of the Congress for New Urbanism, Utah Chapter.