Beautiful Birmingham (York, Lexington, Avon: home, college, restaurants)

[GotLuv4Bham]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

Avondale is probably the best example of a gentrifying neighborhood in Birmingham.

Yes, Avondale! But, Woodlawn is trying to jump on the train too!

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

Avondale is probably the best example of a gentrifying neighborhood in Birmingham.

Parts of Woodlawn, East Lake and Norwood, too.





But we never loved the Governor. That was meant to be ironic.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

Parts of Woodlawn, East Lake and Norwood, too.





But we never loved the Governor. That was meant to be ironic.

Have Brummies ever loved any governor?

[creeksitter]

But we never loved the Governor. That was meant to be ironic

It wasn't meant to be ironic. It meant that Alabama didn't vote for Nixon "so Watergate doesn't bother us".

[GotLuv4Bham]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

It wasn't meant to be ironic. It meant that Alabama didn't vote for Nixon "so Watergate doesn't bother us".

Does your conscience bother you? Tell the truth!

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Originally Posted by GotLuv4Bham

Does your conscience bother you? Tell the truth!

Y’all did what you could do.

[pjg66]

The title of this thread reminds me of a personal anecdote.

A friend from out of town was visiting us in Birmingham. He is a well educated, well traveled man who lives in a beautiful (and pricey) neighborhood in Washington DC. We spent a week with him showing him around and doing things, both in the city and in the surrounding metro area.

On his last night here we were discussing what a great time we had together in this exploration of our city. Our friend was obviously impressed by Birmingham, and at one point in the conversation he exclaimed, "You guys are fortunate to be living in Birmingham. You are surrounded by so much beauty here."

I think our friend got that exactly right.

[investorscooter]

I live in the "sprawl to the swamps" of South Florida where one must drive at a crawl forever and pass one generic intersection after another, ad nauseum. Greed built Miami, where transience precludes community-building.

My sincere hope is that BHam's infill within the borders of your existing urban development go well. There's NOTHING to replace good urban planning, for a high quality of life and you guys have that chance. Refurbish what you can, re-purpose what makes good sense and when you build fresh make it new and exciting.

But don't neglect those who are being pushed out. They need a reasonable landing pad elsewhere. My fond wish for you is a steady and smart type of growth.

Be proud and good luck!!

[GotLuv4Bham]

Originally Posted by investorscooter

Refurbish what you can, re-purpose what makes good sense and when you build fresh make it new and exciting.

Exactly my friend! Birmingham is one of the only cities in the southeast that still has a significant amount of its historic charm intact. We should not want to become bland or sterile for the sake of growth! Birmingham is booming with development, but we have to force these developers to design their buildings in a way that complements our city's character. When you think of cities that people flock to, you picture New York, London, Paris, New Orleans, Chicago, etc. What these cities all have in common is their historic charm. Rapid growth is not what makes a city great, but, preserving what makes your city unique is.

[bfmx1]

Originally Posted by GotLuv4Bham

Exactly my friend! Birmingham is one of the only cities in the southeast that still has a significant amount of its historic charm intact. We should not want to become bland or sterile for the sake of growth! Birmingham is booming with development, but we have to force these developers to design their buildings in a way that complements our city's character. When you think of cities that people flock to, you picture New York, London, Paris, New Orleans, Chicago, etc. What these cities all have in common is their historic charm. Rapid growth is not what makes a city great, but, preserving what makes your city unique is.

Pretty sure New York, New Orleans, and Chicago are losing people. Or their growth is stagnant. If you're talking about the past 100 years, then yes. That built their history, but it's not why people went there.

Look at the growth cities of the past 10 years, they've not grown because of their historical charm, rather, career opportunities and 21st century way of life.