Discussion: Birmingham's Progress and Sustainability

[Blazer85]

It's just absolutely pathetic. A great start in "sustaining" Birmingham would be in getting our voters to wake the heck up. Our county commission is a joke, the mayor is a joke, the city council is a joke... who in our local leadership is NOT a joke? A report today has surfaced that a financial advisor is reporting that the county commission wasted $80-100M.

If we can do what we've done with pathetic leadership, who knows what kind of growth could be in store if we had just remotely intelligent leaders in our local government.

[Blazer85]

There was a big ceremony today sort of marking the opening of the new Jimmie Hale Mission (site where homeless can gather for meals, a place to sleep, life skills, etc.)

I think this is a fairly significant development in terms of the overall process of converting downtown into a more family-friendly environment. Officials hope that by moving the Jimmie Hale Mission out of the central downtown area that fewer homeless people will make be hanging around the central downtown area.

I'm all for trying to rehabilitate folks and think the Jimmie Hale Mission is a great service to our community, but I'm glad they've moved it out of the central downtown area. While many homeless people are fairly helpless and just looking to get by, homeless folks frighten off a lot of downtown visitors... particuarly if they're not used to interacting with the homeless.

[kayman]

What do you guys think is holding Birmingham back from becoming like other large Southern cities that are booming? Let's discuss.

[Blazer85]

Honestly, though it's hard to pin down just one thing, I think alot of it is already happening. I think Birmingham isn't garnering regional headlines, however, because we're not building any true skyscrapers. So that's really one of the bigger things we're missing right now. We've got a couple 15-19 story buildings proposed, but none under construction.

Skyscrapers aren't the be-all, end-all, but it's all about perception. Skyscrapers, right or wrong, are considered a gauge of a downtown's health. We all know that doesn't have to be the case. But this is why alot of folks not familiar with Birmingham may think Birmingham is stagnant or sinking further. This is because skyscrapers are the most visible signs of progress, and really, not much has changed in years. It's only when you look at all the loft/condo conversions, new restaurants, new hotels, etc. that you really see what's going on downtown.

All that to say this...

1) We're missing a 30+ story skyscraper

2) We're missing a significant expansion of the BJCC

3) We're missing a significant committment to expanding mass transit (downtown especially)

4) We're missing the Railroad Reservation Park

Any or all of these will really help signal us being over the tipping point. Personally I think we're kind of already at that point or just over, but any of those 4 would be REALLY significant in helping solidly push us over that tipping point.

[Alabadrock]

1) We're missing a 30+ story skyscraper

2) We're missing a significant expansion of the BJCC

3) We're missing a significant committment to expanding mass transit (downtown especially)

4) We're missing the Railroad Reservation Park

Any or all of these will really help signal us being over the tipping point. Personally I think we're kind of already at that point or just over, but any of those 4 would be REALLY significant in helping solidly push us over that tipping point.

[Blazer85]

Not gonna comment on the first two, cause the city council is the one holding that back. They could get it done if they really wanted it. But, whatever happened to the Railroad Reservation Park??

[Alabadrock]

It's still a go... ground has already been broken, in fact. Real site work, however, is not expected to begin until very late this summer or maybe early fall. At least that's the last I heard.

[rolltider]

What do you guys think is holding Birmingham back from becoming like other large Southern cities that are booming? Let's discuss.

[Alabadrock]

Things that are needed or need to change:

Leadership in the mayor's office. Rather than wasting his time micro-managing the city's affairs the mayor needs competent people around so he can spend more time promoting the city and recruiting business and development.

Integrity and honesty in city hall. There is very little.

Cooperation between the mayor, city council and Jefferson County Commission. As I said in a previous post I believe the Jefferson County Commission and maybe some smaller city governments in this area want the city of Birmingham government to continue to fail.

Cooperation between the many municipalities in the area and especially their cooperation with the city of Birmingham. And yes, I believe much of the reason for the lack of cooperation from the county and suburbs with Birmingham is racially motivated and it needs to stop.

A stronger commitment by the cities, counties and state governments to the Birmingham International Airport.

Committment by the local governments to a real metro transit system.

[convulso]

i'm with you, blazer. things seem to be happening down in the city. things just feel different. i've been away since the first of the year, and having come back, there's just more excitement about the level of activity going on in bham. the new residential project in highland is nearly done; bessemer is sorta coming to life; the restaurant scene continues to expand; there are some moderately-sized projects filling in some under-utilized areas downtown; UAB keeps on a' building - all of these things have to happen before any 'next level' of highly visible development that everyone seems to thirst after.

i'm happy with bham's current 'feel' - more impressive to the pedestrian than to the tower-gawkers on the interstate - and i think the wet dreams of scraper enthusiasts are decades away, if not longer, from being realized here - but there are signs that the stage is being set for growth on a larger scale. nothing bad about that, if it happens in the right way.

[DruidCity]

One of the main things Birmingham lacks that other metro areas in the same size range

(Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Jacksonville, etc) is "destination tourism."

I actually like visiting Birmingham and truly would love living there, and consider things

like the Barber Motorsports great "hidden gems"

for the whole region. However, Birmingham doesn't have any draws on the level of Beale Street, the French Quarter,

the Nashville music scene, the Orlando theme parks, pro sports, or even things in many smaller cities like

Biloxi's casinos or Chattanooga's riverfront or Savannah's and Charleston's historic tours.

Tourism can play a defining role in shaping "city image."

As a whole, Alabama lacks distinction as a "tourist destination," and as a result,

many view Alabama including Birmingham as "just something to

drive through or fly over to get where you're really going."

[Blazer85]

One of the main things Birmingham lacks that other metro areas in the same size range

(Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Jacksonville, etc) is "destination tourism."

I actually like visiting Birmingham and truly would love living there, and consider things

like the Barber Motorsports great "hidden gems"

for the whole region. However, Birmingham doesn't have any draws on the level of Beale Street, the French Quarter,

the Nashville music scene, the Orlando theme parks, pro sports, or even things in many smaller cities like

Biloxi's casinos or Chattanooga's riverfront or Savannah's and Charleston's historic tours.

Tourism can play a defining role in shaping "city image."

As a whole, Alabama lacks distinction as a "tourist destination," and as a result,

many view Alabama including Birmingham as "just something to

drive through or fly over to get where you're really going."

[DruidCity]

That would be nice. I really hope the Railroad Reservation Park can begin the transformation of the

void between UAB (which is looking better than ever) and the big downtown buildings

from a rather run-down area (at least it seemed that

way when I've walked near that Ford dealership) into a regional showpiece.

I'll also say that Birmingham is one of the more naturally beautiful "big cities" I've visited. There's such a grandeur to

the vista from Vulcan Park, for instance.

A fairly low-ticket item that I'd like to see added to metro Birmingham is an extensive biking/walking trail system, including some trails for the handicapped accessible. I also think Birmingham-area leaders would be very wise

to look into preserving big chunks of land in west Jefferson for future park use and conservation purposes,

while there are still such large, undeveloped, inexpensive chunks of land available that really are pretty

close to the main urban area.

For all its faults, one of the things Tuscaloosa city leadership has done right

recently is emphasize walking and other outdoor activities:

http://www.usatriathlon.org/UsatEvents/200...eNationals.aspx

http://www.ci.tuscaloosa.al.us/DocumentView.asp?DID=536

[Alabadrock]

Exactly... and that's why I'm hopeful the Railroad Park has the potential to reshape the whole city. It could be a one-of-a-kind, world-class attraction downtown... if it's done right. I also think the BJCC Entertainment District has the potential to be a great attraction, but not maybe on the level of the Railroad Park.

And speaking of... I wish downtown Birmingham had more walking tours, bus tours, carriage tours, etc. There's alot of historical buildings and districts around town (much of it maybe spread out a little bit), but certainly enough for a 1-hr tour or something like that.

[kayman]

Exactly... and that's why I'm hopeful the Railroad Park has the potential to reshape the whole city. It could be a one-of-a-kind, world-class attraction downtown... if it's done right. I also think the BJCC Entertainment District has the potential to be a great attraction, but not maybe on the level of the Railroad Park.

And speaking of... I wish downtown Birmingham had more walking tours, bus tours, carriage tours, etc. There's alot of historical buildings and districts around town (much of it maybe spread out a little bit), but certainly enough for a 1-hr tour or something like that.

[kayman]

HISTORY OF DISTRUST

Old racial divides hinder growth of trust

One of the major components that region lacks is trust. We have so much balkanization of this area that it is beyond ridiculous. 30+ cities for the Jeffco alone, and the county population is only 661K. The article is a part of The Birmingham News ongoing series to discuss the very topic this whole thread is based upon, Birmingham's future.

It is definitely something that all of us should read because it gives everybody some incite into why regional cooperation has so much trouble around here.

[Blazer85]

It's little things like what I saw tonight on Fox 6 that help prevent this area from being all that it can be. Fox 6 did a story on unpaid parking tickets and said there are over 700,000 unpaid parking tickets totaling about $16-million. 16-million won't solve all of our problems, but it sure would help do things like paving roads, giving police raises, or any other variety of things. The fact is, Birmingham has done very little to collect on these unpaid parking tickets. Hopefully, the city will enact laws or policies similar to that in other cities such as issuing warrants for arrests, booting vehicles, etc. Just one more thing that Birmingham needs to really step it up on and crack down on people abusing the system. That $16-million could do alot of good for the city.

[highlandtodd]

Besides less crime and better schools, Birmingham needs to focus on its natural beauty. Ecology is the #1 topic for the next 100 years, and Birmingham has an abundance of real nature, and a fairly impressive urban core integrated into nature. People need to know about this, ESPECIALLY people here.

[highlandtodd]

I also think Joghn Rogers is the ULTIMATE impediment to Birmingham's progress. He intentionally incites racism from both white/black communities.

[Blazer85]

Birmingham City Council today approved the Inclusion Resolution which had previously been held up. After the approval, the chamber was filled with a loud, long round of applause.

Here's a copy of that resolution: http://bhamterminal.com/files/2007/05/revi...-resolution.pdf

[Alabadrock]

Birmingham City Council today approved the Inclusion Resolution which had previously been held up. After the approval, the chamber was filled with a loud, long round of applause.

Here's a copy of that resolution: http://bhamterminal.com/files/2007/05/revi...-resolution.pdf

[convulso]

miraculous. did royal and the other fools vote for it, homophobia and all?

too bad this came to a head in the first place. i really am surprised that the council turned things around on this. i don't surprise easily, or so i thought.

[Blazer85]

Supposedly, their disgust with it had something to do with equating/comparing homosexuality with racial discrimination. I don't know *exactly* their point of dispute about the previous resolution, but they did like the language of the more recent one, and thus, the unanimous passing of the resolution.

[TennBear]

The Birmingham Zoo actually is the 2nd largest zoo in the South outside of the Miami MetroZoo,

[kayman]

The Birmingham Zoo only has 800 animals representing 200 species. There are several Zoos in the South that are much larger. The Memphis Zoo has 3500 animals representing 500 species, as an example. Atlanta has 1000 animals representing 250 species. Houston has 3500 animals representing 700 species. Those are just a few. By the way, the Miami Zoo only has 700 animals. It is smaller than Birmingham's.