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One thing I think of when I think of Ohio is boring. It literally sucks the life and motivation out of people. The weather half of the year being cloudy doesn't help I know. One thing that comes to mind is Ohio's cities downtowns. They are probably some of the least vibrant ever. People should capitalize on that. If anything maybe create mini-NYC's. Little cities that never sleep in certain districts. That would be really neat to see a city like Dayton with tons of Tokyo/NYC tech and vibrance. The Oregon District doesn't really fit what im talking about. Anyway does anyone else thing it would be radically cool to see Ohio downtowns actually become vibrant for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?
The bottomline is if Ohio wasn't boring, people would not only stay there, people would move there. The state wouldn't have to worry about graduates leaving as much, because graduates would also be coming in. I'm thinking of downtown Dayton as a mini-NYC. Imagine all those signs and cool stuff going on. The energy would definitely spread to the rest of the surrounding areas.
Okay so how do you do it? It doesn't have to be all bars or whatever. One cool thing would be a video game developer for the PC, with three different working shifts, and a cool area with free online gaming. You could also meet the developers, talk about games, games conventions and stuff like that. The outside the the business would have an open area with lights, nearby places to eat, and try to create an atmosphere where people are coming and going 24/7.
Would a moderator please edit the title to say "Ideas for Dayton"?
Last edited by the_pines; 08-10-2008 at 09:34 PM..
Also Sinclair Community College is pretty cool. Maybe they would go along with something like this and adapt to have 24 hour classes and things going on.
Also an indoor beach modeled to look like a tropical lagoon, complete with white sand, nice artificial lighting, nice warm water, and some artificial waves. It could have a dome overtop of it, with light that would make you feel like you're at the beach. This is to combat a bit of seasonal depression. A bi fresh airy environment with a well rounded temperature and atmosphere. On the side it could have a rainforest area that could dub as a library for Dayton public libraries, and Sinclair Community College necessities. The area could be very inviting so people could initially see inside and see the beautiful environment and relaxing atmosphere. Throw in some man made cliffs, perches, and area where children could play away. There would have to be good ambience to keep a good vibe. This would go good with condos downtown and loft dwellers.
One thing I have always wanted to do also is barometric pressure treatment. These are chambers with increased oxygen and pressure. They force the body, skin, and bloodstream to absorb more oxygen and they are EXTREMELY good for people. Things can be added to the air, as an alternative to the traditional spa, and tanning beds. Adding things to the skin also before resting the the barometric chamber. They also stimulate the sense and heighten memory, so they would be conducive to a college environment. It would be awesome if a really big one of these catered to people downtown. Their benefits are far reaching and of great help for anyone.
cont..
Last edited by the_pines; 08-10-2008 at 09:57 PM..
Another thing that would be cool is a Winter District that is designed to be beautiful in the winter, but stay beautiful in summer also. During Christmas this could be a good gathering spot for families too.
Adding shopping in the traditional sense seems redundant and could hurt surrounding areas. Because of this what about something like an 24 hour eclectic flea market/convention center? I'm thinking lots of local crafts, locally made clothes, decorations, and a local artwork display. That sort of thing. But also to help keep things moving at all hours, small conventions could continually be scheduled also.
A kind of weird idea also is a a sort of kiosk station placed in different spots downtown where people can access lots of different information about show times, movie display times, menu's, walking distance, availabilities exct. New businesses would have the opportunity to tie in to this to make things optimal and smooth.
Of course there would need to be a local music scene that handles the 24 hour flexibility premise well. probably something more like a collection of places, that are interconnected where people can pass one to the other. Some kind of neat crafted outdoor overhang type thing maybe with street views inside. Along with some high tech clubs too of course.
HMMM how to draw tourism to a small midwest downtown to add more vibrance? Maybe some type of round the clock ethnic festival that never ends and is continually going on. This could be with some partnership with Sinclair Community College and not just exchange students, but also immigrants. Places where permanent setups could be created to exchange information about different regions, foods, and stuff like that. It would also lend itself well to the flea market/convention center. As well the clubs downtown, and the college. Where young adults are open to meeting new meeting on a frequent basis.
Also one of the benefits would be that things would be integrated, so there wouldn't be China towns or things like that. The idea is to find a common bond, and go from there while having differences in lots of ways.
Of course to add to the vibrance more dense living space would need to sprout up. Jobs would already provide some of the vibrance too. But some inexpensive housing that is nice, not some plain old junk would go a long way. One benefit would be to help integrate the poor, and give them real opportunities to broaden their horizons and absorb the energy.
Another reason would be that it could be done in a way to bring Dayton public schools back better than ever, and with diversity. So maybe even upping teacher and professor salaries in the city would go a long way. I'm very fond of Dayton as a city. I'm also very displeased that we can not find the heart to create a working, and exceptional public school system. Everyone needs it, minorities need it. Now im going to throw something really weird out there. What if all of this worked, and concerning the Dayton Public school thing, they could actually make their hours flexible to alleviate crowding, and to help parents who might need flexible schedules. The schools could remain open for extra sessions, gifted classes, and stuff like that. A sort of night school for kids. It might also help some kids excel and not get behind because of poor attendance.
Okay another idea. Sinclair Community College could add a very special botany class or whatever, and make it top notch. part of the classroom curriculum could be to beautify the city and newly built areas. They would know their plants, and know what would add beauty and or function. In essence they could be landscapers also while getting their desired degree, and leave a bit of their footprint on city meant to be vibrant so everyone could see their classes work. Plus we need more botanists, so we aren't overrun by pharmaceutical companies. They too are pioneers in medicine technology.
Alright what about a public access cable company specifically for Dayton residents with interactive TV also? This could also be tied in with Sinclair Community College. I'm talking about turning ont he TV and watching instructional videos to brush up, or add to your knowledge. Want to go fishing? Watch the fishing channel the night before, find out what fish are there, what they eat, how they reproduce, their habitat exct. But it goes beyond that. A MATH channel. YES. Collections of college sessions on different math levels could be broadcast. In addition to this, Sinclair could provide internet classes where students log on, and join others students while a professor who might be hundreds of miles away does his thing. You say well people could cheat? Well anti-cheat protection policy would need to be thought out. Students would definitely need to take tests in an environment where they couldn't cheat to prove they were learning the material. 24/7 access to knowledge and learning with group learning, to help promote a community that is self reliant enough that answers and help can be found.
How about an architectual project where students from the college submit their designs for said infrastructure needed, and it is voted on by people and selected? Hey, get a young homegrown architect off on the right foot! It also promotes character, creativity, and offsets cookie cutter developing. You don't see homes being built very much anymore with some of the craftsmanship and ornate things they once had. So residential housing design could also be displayed at the convention center as a Homorama project. of course builders would need to sign on. It would give them an easy way of doing that. residential people could also browse award winning designs to see if there is something they would like to have built.
Then there could be a building built with elegance in mind. Not feminine really, but very classy, awesome views at every corner, balcony's exct. It could host weddings(nothing like poor people getting married in backyards, cheap rented halls exct. It would be cool if they could do that in a beautiful place. It could also host photography studio's for portraits, Dayton Public school portraits, and all kinds of things. Modeling could be done there, and college graduates could find themselves with a way to get on board in photography and stuff like that. Space could be rented out to small photography companies also.
Also a very specialized emergency center could be built downtown. Not only to add function, but to add vibrance and find and fill a gap in emergency needs. With top notch dental and health services to cater to all ages. Ohio lacks in good hygiene. Of course it couldn't be just some ordinary building, it would have to cater to the downtown vibrance.
A homeless work rehabilitation program. Jobs could include operating street equipment, picking up trash, washing dishes at local restaurants, driving forklifts at local businesses, cleaning and maintaining buildings. A very nice hostel could serve homeless people and give them a place to socialize, and have access to opportunity. Licenses could be earned and things like that. It would also be looking ahead to keep homeless numbers as low as possible, and keep crimes in the area down.
Bus routes could be extended to more suburbs so people would not have to combat traffic, or not have to worry about driving in many cases to work downtown. Thus keeping congestion and smog down also. Small bus stations could be added to each suburb with local run times displayed on the access TV, newspaper, and by phone exct. Also taxi service could be expanded so that the city has a more traditional urban feel and vibrance. The problem is taxi rides are expensive. I have no idea how to get around that.
A top notch choreography and dance studio could be built. Along with gymnastics courses. These would go well with Dayton Public schools. Ballet, gymnastics, with adult fitness classes too. That way parents might stop in and exercise why their kid is attending classes. Could be convenient. Making things functional and integrated like that makes things more manageable. Then there would be the indoor beach to cool off at on some nights too.
INDUSTRY. Because everyone loves industry. It pays good, it performs a need, and its just part of human nature. So a local wood working shop would also go well. Where local furniture is made, and crafted wood products could be put up at the flea market/convention center. Also adding classes to Sinclair. This would also promote residential craftsmanship that could go a long way to restoring Dayton's older, more unique structures. And local business could put in orders for pieces to be made. Hand crafted, homegrown, and beautiful. It too could have a very open environment so passerby's could see people working, and see some of the craftsmanship. If they had a catalogue people all over the city would get their furniture and whatever made. It could also expand to have ethnic wood working and craftsman areas where immigrants and exchange students could show their stuff. Also instruments could be made locally here, and bought locally.
Cool sings would be a just. Like Tokyo and NYC have. Futuristic looking ones. Some that rotate, some in HD, some neon, some that also scent the air.
An 1800's village. Kinda of like the Winter Park village. But an area with crafted storefronts, blaconys, lavish throwback passenger train like interiors. Saloon doors, very detailed Asian carved doors, ornate windowsills, entryways, overhangs, boardwalks, lighting fixtures, chandeliers and heirlooms of the past. This wood go good with the wood working center too. Nice old velvety chairs. Local card tournaments exct.
How to help Indians thrive like anyone else? One thing is they have a lot of crafting skills most people don't have. So they could sell their goods at the flea market/convention center. Some could teach language and heritage classes at Sinclair. Tribes could find a solid outlet to earn a living from their skills by importing goods to Dayton.
Early ticket movie theater. Yea I know Dayton would have to strong arm somebody so we could get movies shown early like LA, NYC, and Paris or whatever. But it would be cool anyway. Also a top notch state of the art theater for cutting edge movie technology. Like 3'D movies and, well... I forgot what the other one was called. Its where the picture shakes repeatedly to make it pop out at you and gives the picture depth. Of course some kind of holograph technology would be needed here to fill gaps and make it more unique. The college could also add cinematography classes and local students could win awards and have their independent films shown at the theater.
To make the rivers clean up better some type of zoo plankton could be added. There has to be something that could be harvested and added to help clean up the ecosystem. I know studies have found that pine trees are the trees mots conducive to healthy environments. They're great trees that help clean up toxins.
Now technology wise, people would probably have to be recruited form elsewhere. Its no secret Ohio is way behind in education and technology. A good in-house software company would go a long way so graduates don't leave. They could work on a new operating system, 3'D writing environments, and help bring about user friendly, more hands on electronic technology. Stuff like you would see in movies. There are all kinds of ideas people could actually try and make a reality. So it could be a research/innovation/software, operating systems type business. If it meant bringing people in it would be great for the area. Some of their developments would eventually probably make it in to the area. Seeing new gadgets and technology things is always cool. Especially when its someones city.
What about a more hands on approach to some of the areas in the world with very high education standards and actively recruiting people? There has to be something we could offer in return for bringing in higher education and raising education standards. Maybe Dayton could barter goods in return for people moving there with lofty educations and abilities to offer things to locals. Maybe sign another initiative where we have an open door recruit with Japan and help supply them with foods and or other services. Just trying to be creative here. Maybe even lure some kind of very special Nintendo works Arcade for downtown Dayton. Our counter to Disney Land. If it worked maybe they would even turn the place in to something more. We grew up on Nintendo and Atari. Its part of our culture and gaming is bigger and better than ever. That would be AWESOME. Then Nintendo could even show off some previous innovations, old prototypes and have a sort of eclectic collection museum type thing. How about a specially made SUPER WII for Dayton Nintendo? Please just let me ramble or whatever. I know this is all fiction. Hey Dayton helped pioneer the computer in a big way.
SCI-FI District. Yea. With Sci-fi housing lofts, and businesses. I don't even know what that means, you decide. Special effects studio for monster making? Experimental design that tries to leap forward one hundred years in time. Of course all of these things would require special hands to create to blend things together.
Last edited by the_pines; 08-10-2008 at 11:54 PM..
Also forgot a one of a kind toy store and a hobby shop in downtown Dayton too! YES all of it. And a top notch bakery too. Freshly made doughnuts, muffins, and bread. The downtown aroma!
Last edited by the_pines; 08-11-2008 at 01:41 AM..
And....and winter proof hanging baskets everywhere. Including in the trees.
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