A Place You Want To Come

Another Snippit from the RTD Op/Ed Page

"A fatal stabbing on East Broad ... is not the type of think that makes residents want to hurry downtown."

This is a bad stretch of Broad. There is a very busy bus stop here loaded with actual passengers and many hangers on. It is usually covered with litter and nobody seems happy being there except for the "hangers on". Why couldn't the RPD station a uniformed cop there, not to harass, but just chat it up with the passengers and others. The legitimate users of this stop would probably appreciate the security, and the others would probably move to a less supervised corner. Either way, the security presence downtown needs to be upgraded.

I have stated these same feelings elsewhere and I still believe it. If we are serious about having an successful downtown then we need to make it as attractive and safe as possible. You just can't count the number of people that don't come and the attitude that if they can't take the heat then we don't want or need them doesn't make sense. This attitude helps explain why downtown remains separate and distinct from the rest of the city and the same holds true for the city as a whole. We need to make Richmond a place where people want to come and feel good about coming to, not just a place they are willing to go to.

Here's a two year old essay from Urban Richmond that gives a bit of inspiration to what Broad Street could be.

New development for downtown Broad St.