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The Greening of Columbia


digital_sandlapper

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Still keeping this thread afloat...

The city of Greensboro has done something innovative; it has rolled out a comprehensive, 25-year plan that combines new sidewalks, bike routes, and trails and greenways into a single document. I think this is something pretty progressive that could possibly work in Columbia; it would go hand-in-hand, at least in part, with Mayor Coble's vision to "connect the dots" downtown, especially as it regards Innovista. I also believe that USC's efforts in planting oaks downtown should be complemented by the city along various other avenues.

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Digital sandlapper, hope you're still taking notes. :D

I think this is probably the closest thing I've run across yet that resembles your vision: Louisville's Waterfront Park:

Map%20of%20Park.jpg

WOW! Now THAT'S quite a park! :w00t:

We are so lucky here in Columbia to still have this huge undeveloped parcel of land on the river-and one that

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No prob, digitial sandlapper! I think open spaces are so critically important to the healthy development of a city.

Notice in the second image, the park isn't located too far from the baseball stadium. I know that USC is planning to build their ballpark somewhere in the Vista in what is now pretty much a neglected area. Suppose if a great waterfront park, similar to Louisville's, was built in the vicinty. Hmmm.....

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No prob, digitial sandlapper! I think open spaces are so critically important to the healthy development of a city.

Notice in the second image, the park isn't located too far from the baseball stadium. I know that USC is planning to build their ballpark somewhere in the Vista in what is now pretty much a neglected area. Suppose if a great waterfront park, similar to Louisville's, was built in the vicinty. Hmmm.....

Yeah . . and we don't have raised freeways through ours, either!

I'm praying that USC's Planning Department is listening . . . :whistling:

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's interesting that the comprehensive report by Sasaki compared Columbia's future waterfront park to some of the others I've mentioned in this thread, such as the one in Cincinatti; I'm surprised they didn't mention the one in Louisville. This just lets us know that here on UP, we have the real scoop before it even comes out. ;)

I think I'm most excited about Columbia getting a new largest park. Finlay is really nice and an achievement in itself, but it will be inadequate to serve as the city's central park as the population continues to increase. Furthermore, any city located on a river should have its largest, most prominent park located on the river, IMO. The new park actually puts me in the mind of Chicago's Millenium Park, on a smaller scale.

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Krazee and Everyone,

I've been in the field a lot lately, and so haven't been on UP . . going out again tomorrow, but had to respond to this exciting development. Now THIS is what I'm talking about!! :yahoo:

The only issues I have with it:

1- The replacement of the warehouses along Huger and other streets with rows and rows of generic, same-height "buildings." USC and the city should work together to provide incentives to renovate the existing warehouses to serve as Columbia's Warehouse/Art District, IMO.

2- The existing trees on the river bank should not be mowed down and replaced with a monotonous row of small "tree-lets" as in the renderings. The current canopy could be opened/cleared here and there to serve as vistas of the river, especially at the foot of the promenade along Greene Street and opposite the amphitheater, but most should remain like the rest of the Greenway, IMO.

I think these two may just be details that the Sasaki design team didn't need to focus on, and so they just filled in with hypothetical ideas. The design is by far JUST what I was hoping for--wahoo!! :yahoo:

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  • 5 months later...

Am I the only one who thinks the planting choices are so boring everywhere where there's new plantings? As much as I'm happy to see ANY additional greenery in the streets, I think the city could do much better. Why not capitalize on the great climate and plant (not just palmettos, but them too) - things that can't grow up north?

Climate is a big (but secondary) reason for a lot of newcomers from up north to move here, and when they come to visit, we should remind them visually that this is a warm climate. I'm not just talking about the official streetscaping projects, but also what USC and developers chose to plant in front their new construction.

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Am I the only one who thinks the planting choices are so boring everywhere where there's new plantings? As much as I'm happy to see ANY additional greenery in the streets, I think the city could do much better. Why not capitalize on the great climate and plant (not just palmettos, but them too) - things that can't grow up north?

Climate is a big (but secondary) reason for a lot of newcomers from up north to move here, and when they come to visit, we should remind them visually that this is a warm climate. I'm not just talking about the official streetscaping projects, but also what USC and developers chose to plant in front their new construction.

I think you are overlooking the fact that most of what is being planted are grand trees, including different varieties of oaks and maples. When they mature they are going to be incredibly beautiful and will create a lush, shady environment and more color in the fall. An example is the parking area near the Colonial Center.

USC recently was named a national place of beauty by some national place of beauty designation board for its expertise in caring for its grounds, and its trees and flowers were a big part of the reason. On Gervais Street the city is slowly but surely replacing the species that has not done as well as they had hoped. As those trees die, they are being replaced (during tree-planting season) by a hardy and more attractive Chinese something or other. The city horticulture department emailed that info to me. Several of them have already been planted and did very well through the summer.

The palmettos are only meant to add a special "Palmetto State" touch for the Capital City. They almost make me think Columbia's nick-name should be "The Subtropical Capital." I encourage you to take another look, for instance in Five Points, at the species of trees being planted all over downtown and in the city in general. Main Street itself now boasts not only mature grand oaks mainly at each intersection, but also a couple of varieties of younger-than-juvenile-aged shade trees that will eventually create dense shade in the summer and a huge burst of color in the fall, as well as palmettos. They are all doing very well. Stick around a couple of growing seasons and you will be amazed.

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Am I the only one who thinks the planting choices are so boring everywhere where there's new plantings? As much as I'm happy to see ANY additional greenery in the streets, I think the city could do much better. Why not capitalize on the great climate and plant (not just palmettos, but them too) - things that can't grow up north?

Climate is a big (but secondary) reason for a lot of newcomers from up north to move here, and when they come to visit, we should remind them visually that this is a warm climate. I'm not just talking about the official streetscaping projects, but also what USC and developers chose to plant in front their new construction.

I agree with you, to an extent. I love palm trees and Palmetto's, Pindo Palms and Chinese Windmill Palms can grow fairly well in Columbia. Even Mexican Fan Palms can survive in the right micro-climate, but overall, Palm Trees require alot of TLC to survive in Columbia because it can get quite cold on occasion. The recent plantings have included Crepe Myrtles, which don't grow up North, along with the Maples and Oaks, so I think there has been some effort to plant sub-tropical foliage. The planters on the Lady Street bridge contain Chinese Windmill Palms and every corner on Lady Street has 12 Palmetto's - 3 on each corner.

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I guess I didn't put it the way I meant it... I have nothing against the palmettos and oaks etc that have been planted, it's more the smaller plantings, the shrubs and flowers that are so boring. I guess I just want more of the tropicalesque feel that this climate easily can offer. And more, period. A row of oaks with a minimalist ground cover can be fine, and I like the minimalism of such a planting scheme, but if there were more pockets of lush warm climate plantings, it would give the city a different image. For example that tiny bed with tall ornamental grass/elephant ears and a palmetto at the corner of Starbucks in 5points - looks great, but the new planters around the fountain could be done so much more interesting. The USC grounds in the horseshoe area has many tropicalesque plants that seem to do well. That flavor is wonderful, a lot of it looks good year round (the evergreen ferns, fatsias, cast iron plants) and it could be expanded to elsewhere in the city. Many of those are extremely low maintenance also, which should cut the cost.

I was recently in Hilton Head and was very impressed with the lush plantings everywhere. I looked carefully and found that a lot of the plants used there would do well here also even if it's a bit colder here.

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I guess I didn't put it the way I meant it... I have nothing against the palmettos and oaks etc that have been planted, it's more the smaller plantings, the shrubs and flowers that are so boring. I guess I just want more of the tropicalesque feel that this climate easily can offer. And more, period. A row of oaks with a minimalist ground cover can be fine, and I like the minimalism of such a planting scheme, but if there were more pockets of lush warm climate plantings, it would give the city a different image. For example that tiny bed with tall ornamental grass/elephant ears and a palmetto at the corner of Starbucks in 5points - looks great, but the new planters around the fountain could be done so much more interesting. The USC grounds in the horseshoe area has many tropicalesque plants that seem to do well. That flavor is wonderful, a lot of it looks good year round (the evergreen ferns, fatsias, cast iron plants) and it could be expanded to elsewhere in the city. Many of those are extremely low maintenance also, which should cut the cost.

I was recently in Hilton Head and was very impressed with the lush plantings everywhere. I looked carefully and found that a lot of the plants used there would do well here also even if it's a bit colder here.

Sojay, I totally agree with you, but I think the reason they don't plant more tropical-type plants is they really don't do well in Columbia. I love tropical-ish plants and I have many in my backyard, but I've created a micro climate for them, giving them southern exposure and protected from the wind (my backyard is in a valley, too). Most tropical and subtropical plants can easily die below 15 degrees and we usually get temps below 15 at least once every other winter and below 10 about once every 5 years. The last 2 winters have been mild here, but subteen temps are not an extreme rarity. 5 years ago I lost 3 Mexican Fan Palms when the temperature got down to 9 degrees after a 6 inch snowfall. I love Oleanders, but about half of them die back during the winter. Luckily they all have been able to come back in the spring. I'm willing to take the chance with my plants, but if I ever expect a temp below 10 I will definitely cover up the roots of my more tender plants with some burlap or light some smudge pots. I can't let my babies get frostbite! :blush:

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  • 10 months later...

Great pics. Would like to see some true overview shots, though. Is it any wonder why Columbia is an officially designated "Tree City USA?"

Lol....that's funny...I looked at those pictures in the link the other day and was thinking the same thing. Each shot had trees in it....Who says Columbia isn't a green city.......just imagine how it's gonna be when the revitalize that garden district. :)

CarolinaSouth, you'd probably enjoy this thread as well. Before looking at the photos in that thread, I had no idea how extensive and lush the tree canopy was in Columbia.

Don

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I think what you're saying is pretty typical for just about any CBD. There will be stretches that have a nice canopy or developing canopy, and there will be stretches where there's practically nothing. I was really referring to the lushness of the area as a whole, and you really can't see it on the ground like you can from the air. For instance, simply driving around Atlanta, you'd think the entire city was paved over. But when you look at the region from the air, the sheer abundance of tree cover is staggering.

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I think what you're saying is pretty typical for just about any CBD. There will be stretches that have a nice canopy or developing canopy, and there will be stretches where there's practically nothing. I was really referring to the lushness of the area as a whole, and you really can't see it on the ground like you can from the air. For instance, simply driving around Atlanta, you'd think the entire city was paved over. But when you look at the region from the air, the sheer abundance of tree cover is staggering.

Any city will look lush when you see the suburbs and the surrounding countryside by airplane, but get down on the ground and walk the streets, and its a different story. You'd be begging for shade in downtown Columbia, especially Taylor, Main (going north past downtown), Huger, Assembly, Gervais east of downtown, Harden north of 5 Points, etc., etc.

Columbia could use more street trees--and a proactive, organized tree-planting program by the city. As the mature canopy trees age and die out, there should be young ones going in so they can begin their growth (and not wait until the old ones die). Besides trees, major streets should also have a "tree lawn" between the curb and the sidewalk. Between the planted shade trees placed at regular intervals would be smaller flowering trees, shrubs, flower beds, grass, and/or planters.

Take a moment to notice the dearth of regular canopy trees the next time you drive around town. It really is a bad situation that's only going to get worse if we don't get planting soon!

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You're behind on the new plantings and initiatives. Like Anne Sinclair said in a recent city council meeting, in as many words, stay tuned.

OH?? :shok: This sounds exciting! Can't wait to hear more: when will an announcement be made?

I hope it means a comprehensive land-scaping is coming to all of downtown (in phases, of course). Just look at what this has done to contribute to the renaissance in the Vista, Five Points, and Lady Street!

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