Moore Square: A chance to get it right
We’ve had bad plans for Moore Square before that, mercifully, came to naught. So when the city announced yet another Moore Square renewal effort, suspicious minds went immediately to Defcon Uh-O. But let’s approach this from the other direction: If the participatory, juried & competitive process described by the Planning Department (first meetings June 17 and June 27; details below) works the way they tell us it will, it could produce a very good plan for Moore Square. And a good plan, if executed, would block all the bad plans from ever again rearing their ugly adornments.
(Excepting, of course, the acorn. And yes, ever is a long time, so make that any time soon.)
This, at any rate, was my thought after the kickoff press event yesterday with Mayor Meeker and landscape architect Rod Swink (disclosure: close friend) , and especially after talking with Trisha Hasch, the department’s lead on the project. Three things she said really registered with me.
First, parks and green space create equity in cities. Absolutely right, especially if your city is out to supersize itself with towers of condos.
Second, Moore Square is Raleigh’s best example of the first point. Historically, it’s been a communal gathering place for East Raleigh and West Raleigh, black Raleigh and white Raleigh, downtown Raleigh and neighborhoods Raleigh. Today, it’s at the center of every cultural cross-current in town. (The city put together a neat little summary of Moore Square’s past — did you know, for instance, that from 1865-71 African-American soldiers of the U.S. Army lived there in barracks? Highly recommended reading.)
And third, a juried competition like this is a first for Raleigh planning — and potentially is a huge step forward process-wise for a city that’s used to taking what developers offer and saying, “Gee, we wish it were better, but — move approval.” Continue reading »
