Downtown Wilkes-Barre (Pittsburgh, Allentown, Scranton: appointed, fit in, loan)

[Magritte25]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: WHY does Wilkes-Barre have to be another Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, DC or Atlanta to survive?

IMO, it shouldn't emulate these cities. Those cities have such completely different histories from Wilkes-Barre. It is just as mind boggling to me to even mention those cities as examples of what Wilkes-Barre should be when it was never, ever like them in any way.

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

I've said it before and I'll say it again: WHY does Wilkes-Barre have to be another Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, DC or Atlanta to survive?

IMO, it shouldn't emulate these cities. Those cities have such completely different histories from Wilkes-Barre. It is just as mind boggling to me to even mention those cities as examples of what Wilkes-Barre should be when it was never, ever like them in any way.

Who said it does? It's a smaller city, an as such,; has a distinguished characteristics that are uniquely different from those large metropolises.

When I fist "met" Wilkes-Barre, it reminded me more of a smaller Boston, which is known for it's intimate, historic and academic feel.

That said, I don't think Wilkes-Barre should strive to be Boston. There is a Boston, and there is a Wilkes-Barre. It should strive to be the best Wilkes-Barre it can be!

Similarly, it should not attempt to emulate a suburb, such as Dallas, Mountaintop or Clark's Summit. It is an urban area, and it essential nature will never change.

[Magritte25]

It's been said many, many times on this board.

[theatergypsy]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

It's been said many, many times on this board.

[Pa Dutch]

Originally Posted by sheena12

Who said it does? It's a smaller city, an as such,; has a distinguished characteristics that are uniquely different from those large metropolises.

When I fist "met" Wilkes-Barre, it reminded me more of a smaller Boston, which is known for it's intimate, historic and academic feel.

That said, I don't think Wilkes-Barre should strive to be Boston. There is a Boston, and there is a Wilkes-Barre. It should strive to be the best Wilkes-Barre it can be!

Similarly, it should not attempt to emulate a suburb, such as Dallas, Mountaintop or Clark's Summit. It is an urban area, and it essential nature will never change.

"fist met Wilkes-barre" what a greeting....

Seriously though, a smaller Boston? Where? What? Have you even spent time in Boston? It is rediculous to think Wilkes barre is a smaller Boston.

[W-B proud]

Originally Posted by Pa Dutch

"fist met Wilkes-barre" what a greeting....

Seriously though, a smaller Boston? Where? What? Have you even spent time in Boston? It is rediculous to think Wilkes barre is a smaller Boston.

She is probably refering to the older, historic nature, brick buildings and compact nature of the downtown and historic area. I've been to Boston and see the similarities, but they definatley end there. We are no Boston. W-B is a small city, but like said earlier, we should strive to be a clean, modern city with nice parks, natural areas. We have a lot of potential with our downtown being bookended by two colleges, a new Riverfront, enough park space on both sides of the river that could compete with a large metro city's major parks, a Public Square that if modernized and had refurbished fountains could be a showpiece, a historic district that pound for pound is pretty awesome. W-B is a diamond in the rough. If we had the competent leadership, people of power in the right places, money, and interest with a the true desire to make W-B the best city in the region...I believe W-B could and should be an awesome, thriving, small city...Lack of desire, lack of real leaders whom aren't corrupt or totally worthless, lack of money, lack of support from the community and W-B's suburbs and on and on. It's a shame because when I walk around downtown I envision what could be, I envision what it has the potential to be, I paint a picture in my mind of how the future city could be if all the planets aligned. Nobody is doing anything. There is no mass effort to get the ball rolling.

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by Pa Dutch

"fist met Wilkes-barre" what a greeting....

Seriously though, a smaller Boston? Where? What? Have you even spent time in Boston? It is rediculous to think Wilkes barre is a smaller Boston.

Yes, I have spent time in Boston.

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by W-B proud

She is probably refering to the older, historic nature, brick buildings and compact nature of the downtown and historic area. I've been to Boston and see the similarities, but they definatley end there. We are no Boston. W-B is a small city, but like said earlier, we should strive to be a clean, modern city with nice parks, natural areas. We have a lot of potential with our downtown being bookended by two colleges, a new Riverfront, enough park space on both sides of the river that could compete with a large metro city's major parks, a Public Square that if modernized and had refurbished fountains could be a showpiece, a historic district that pound for pound is pretty awesome. W-B is a diamond in the rough. If we had the competent leadership, people of power in the right places, money, and interest with a the true desire to make W-B the best city in the region...I believe W-B could and should be an awesome, thriving, small city...Lack of desire, lack of real leaders whom aren't corrupt or totally worthless, lack of money, lack of support from the community and W-B's suburbs and on and on. It's a shame because when I walk around downtown I envision what could be, I envision what it has the potential to be, I paint a picture in my mind of how the future city could be if all the planets aligned. Nobody is doing anything. There is no mass effort to get the ball rolling.

Yes this. ^^^^

I envision the same thing. Our historic district is lovely. It does remind me of Boston.

I used the word "met" in a metaphoric context. As in, I was "introduced to Wilkes-Barre".

Why are some people so concrete, literal and nasty?

That may be part of the problem here. Perhaps the future of Wilkes-Barre does not lie with it's natives.

Just a thought...

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by sheena12

That may be part of the problem here. Perhaps the future of Wilkes-Barre does not lie with it's natives.

Just a thought...

Wilkes-Barre (and to an even greater extent Scranton) suffer from extreme provincialism. Several years ago when I was still an enthusiastic local resident and promoted the region's assets to prospective newbies I was accosted frequently by Scranton residents telling me, bluntly, I wasn't allowed to have any opinions about Scranton's future because I was an "outsider" (although I could see the city's nighttime lights from my parents' highly-elevated backyard, but I digress).

When Moosic was licking its chops at the prospect of welcoming The Shoppes at Montage one councilman was quoted in a local newspaper as saying something along the lines of "I'm tired of people from outside of Moosic coming here and telling us how to run our town!" in reference to those who opposed the new project for fear that it would kill the Mall at Steamtown (which I correctly predicted years ago, may I add).

As long as these little "fiefdom" folks still exist and still promote their little bubbles we'll never see any REAL progress in NEPA. Pittston Township needs to stop growing at the expense of Pittston City. Dickson City and The Abingtons need to stop growing at the expense of Scranton. The Back Mountain and Mountain Top need to stop growing at the expense of Wilkes-Barre. All areas should be growing to COMPLEMENT one another.

Sheena, I admire your optimism, but after years of banging my head against a virtual wall I decided it just wasn't worth it to be a Scranton and/or Wilkes-Barre cheerleader anymore amidst a sea of provincial malcontents. If people want to see a paved surface lot on the site of the soon-to-be-razed Hotel Sterling at one of Downtown Wilkes-Barre's premier gateways, then so be it---they can take a page of revitalization follies out of Downtown Pittston's handbook. As for me I'm thrilled to now be living in a REAL city with people who value what that entails---being able to minimize your use of your car so you can walk to grab a cup of coffee, a morning paper, to make a bank deposit, to get your cavity filled, to push your child on a swingset, to imbibe at a corner bar, to pick up a gallon of milk, to worship, to chat across front porches, etc. I just tired of dealing with people in NEPA who sought to further retrofit (and destroy) the urban fabric of places like Scranton, Pittston, and Wilkes-Barre to make them more car-friendly and to cater to suburbanites rather than make them more pedestrian-friendly and encourage some of those suburbanites to instead move into the city to increase their tax bases.

People can balk at my bluntness as much as they'd like, but I'm more well-versed in urban planning than most through years and years of careful study and research of numerous books on the subject, lectures, seminars, etc. If you want to live in the newer suburbs, then fine. So be it. Just don't try to demand that our cities retrofit themselves at the expense of walkability to subsidize YOUR chosen lifestyle.

I honestly will never understand why a place like Kingston, for example, isn't more popular and has been in steep population decline for decades. If you want quieter streets, larger lot sizes, and a strong sense of community while still being in close proximity to everything then that town really fits the bill. It's walkable to Downtown Wilkes-Barre, two major shopping centers, a major park, and much more.

[Magritte25]

So what is everyone on this thread doing to better Wilkes-Barre?