Louisville Magazine

MAR 2013

Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.

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Ideas for the FUTURE By Mary Chellis Austin Illustrations by Robby Davis From the practical to the radical We asked community leaders, folks on the street, government of��cials, business owners, educators, fellas hanging out in front of the corner store ��� anybody we could ��nd or think of ��� for ideas about what they���d like to see in west Louisville. No idea was too ���out there.��� The simplest answer we got? Less crime, more entertainment. Many of the ideas are scattered throughout this section (see ���My Vision���) and attributed to their masterminds. But here���s a quick checklist of ideas we gathered ��� from practical to pie-in-the-sky. Grab a shovel, let���s do it! Parks facilities) open all weekend. Open a bookstore, perhaps of special interest, as Better Days Records has done. May as well throw in a coffee shop there, too. Provide more park amenities where kids can play and parents can gather. Spread the word to businesses that there���s prime ofmce space ��� with jaw-dropping downtown views ��� ready for lease at the Louisville Central Community Centers Inc. at the corner of Muhammad Ali Boulevard and 13th Street. Fix the streets. Broken sidewalks and cracked pavement are charming only in New Orleans and Paris. Organize a Neighborhood Watch in every area. Hold neighborhood barbecues, concerts and other community gatherings. Keep the Parkland, Shawnee and Salvation Army (Portland) Boys and Girls Clubs open on weekends. Keep the Southwick Center, at the corner of Russell Lee Drive and Southern Avenue in the Park DuValle neighborhood (and other Metro 60 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 3.13 Make the lock-dam system a tourist attraction. Do more with Victory Park, the Olmsted original in the California neighborhood that���s now mostly an empty meld of urban ruins (old concrete slabs left over from long-gone water fountains or teeter-totters), a lonely jungle gym and a little-used community center. Help wanted Build bike paths. Lots and lots. Fewer folks own cars in west Louisville than any other part of the city. And continue the bike paths east PAST NINTH STREET! Open more restaurants; no more fast-food places. According to a city report, one 2.8-mile stretch of Broadway from east downtown to west Louisville contains 24 fast-food joints. Develop the 12,000 acres of waterfront land to be used for events and leisure. Develop a food hub. Food Lou ��� aka FuLu ��� as identimed by the 25-year Vision Louisville plan from the city���s Department of Economic Growth and Innovation, can be centered on Grasshoppers Distribution company in Portland to include a packaging plant, urban garden, market and green roofs. Open a West End school for girls like the one for boys. Market the area as a destination for new businesses. (Hello waterfront space, historic architecture, Olmsted Parks and low rents!) Identify permanent farmers��� markets in west Louisville.

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