Tucson Rainbow Bridge (theater, price, office)

[acatalanb]

Originally Posted by Prodigal Native

WTH?

Oh, well, at least this isn't anything that is being talked about seriously by those in power. I have to assume acatalanb is just bored and likes to come up with (and share) crazy ideas...

The Rainbow Bridge's price tag too overwhelming for you, huh?

$340 million new Maricopa County Courthouse
$750 million 2,600 ft Solar Power Tower

btw, I'm not bored. Too many things happening in Tucson and bringing this Rainbow Bridge now is TOO MUCH for the average Tucsonan. It's not a crazy idea.

[coatimundi]

Garages facing the street: that's a new urbanist design, a la Civano. This is a modern trend. I really like it, but I don't know if it will catch on that well. I believe it's cheaper to build in the more traditional "raze and raise," tract housing. They even built some subdivisions in Gilbert (yeah, that Gilbert) with a New Urbanist slant.
Realize also that these areas some would see as blighted were where areas like Barrio Viejo and Armory Park were 10-15 years ago. It's just a matter of changing the neighborhood character and bringing in the hipsters and DINKs until it's "safe" enough for families. Razing all of West U to build a few phallic monuments is not necessarily the answer.

[acatalanb]

Originally Posted by coatimundi

Garages facing the street: that's a new urbanist design, a la Civano. This is a modern trend. I really like it, but I don't know if it will catch on that well. I believe it's cheaper to build in the more traditional "raze and raise," tract housing. They even built some subdivisions in Gilbert (yeah, that Gilbert) with a New Urbanist slant.
Realize also that these areas some would see as blighted were where areas like Barrio Viejo and Armory Park were 10-15 years ago. It's just a matter of changing the neighborhood character and bringing in the hipsters and DINKs until it's "safe" enough for families. Razing all of West U to build a few phallic monuments is not necessarily the answer.

It's nice to see something different than the generic bland dry walled plastered corporate housing ( KB Home etc..). I used to live in one, I didn't like it.

You mentioned about the 'Turtle' arena that was cancelled only a few years ago. I didn't like it because the renderings look ugly. However, in a month or so, the city will announce another proposal for an arena . I hope that arena will look nice and complement the Rainbow Bridge.

[Prodigal Native]

Originally Posted by acatalanb

The Rainbow Bridge's price tag too overwhelming for you, huh?

$340 million new Maricopa County Courthouse
$750 million 2,600 ft Solar Power Tower

btw, I'm not bored. Too many things happening in Tucson and bringing this Rainbow Bridge now is TOO MUCH for the average Tucsonan. It's not a crazy idea.

No, the Rainbow Bridge is too stupid for me.

There are a lot of things you can do with a similar or even larger impact that do not involve building a giant tribute to architecture that doesn't fit in with this city.

[acatalanb]

Originally Posted by Prodigal Native

No, the Rainbow Bridge is too stupid for me.

There are a lot of things you can do with a similar or even larger impact that do not involve building a giant tribute to architecture that doesn't fit in with this city.

I'd be interested what those things are?

[citynomad]

That rainbow monument is one nice fine architecture. I'd love to visit Tucson again when it gets done. From what I hear from expats, Tucson is changing for the better. The last time I visited was about 20-25 years ago. Moderator cut: snip

[Prodigal Native]

Originally Posted by acatalanb

I'd be interested what those things are?

Ok, let's take a very basic example.... build some freakin' buildings at one END of the bridge on the west side and let it grow. You can put some of the office/school space there, get people interested in the area and THEN look at expanding. If you can get a foothold and prove that people are interested in it then look at connecting it across I-10.

There is already the Gutierrez bridge that will go over the river and while I am not sure how the streetcar is crossing I-10 (bridge or tunnel), we can easily get people across it too, but hey, we will have that awesome streetcar so no real need for a pedestrian bridge, right? EVERYONE will be riding the streetcar!

If you want a bridge, build a bridge, if you want school & office space, then build school & office space. Paint everything to look like a rainbow if you must, but building office space IN a bridge and letting people walk on top of it is, to quote myself, stupid.

[acatalanb]

^^^ ok, prodigal native. got it.

Anyway here's another motivation why we should build this Rainbow Bridge, build a nice free standing tower with free internet wifi and a good powerful hdtv transmission (tucson's reception is not that great all over), extend the modern streetcar tracks, build a super high speed choo choo train to San Diego and Vegas, fix all the roads or maybe even build a super nice monorail to Florida stopping at Disneyland and Key West etc... etc... more fun stuff.

True cost of bank bailout
Derivative contracts as of Dec. 31, 2011
Why Don't We Know More About the 'London Whale'?

Some group is still having a good time gambling everyone's money. Might as well grab as much of that fun money and pour it into our backyard... What the heck, life is short! Let's have fun ourselves!!

[coatimundi]

The streetcar's following Cushing under I-10. Not really a tunnel, just an underpass. The new bridge over the Santa Cruz is connecting that up.

[Prodigal Native]

Originally Posted by coatimundi

The streetcar's following Cushing under I-10. Not really a tunnel, just an underpass. The new bridge over the Santa Cruz is connecting that up.

Thanks coatimundi; the info I was able to find pointed to it going under I-10, but a below-grade tunnel just didn't make any sense - I had a mental image of the new street car floating away the first time a decent monsoon storm hit...