Tuesday, November 25, 2008

One of these things does not belong...

Despite the expected accolades from the typical (seemingly uninterested) parties one should start to question the validity or recreating/reinventing an urban streetscape without attempting to solve the continued issued of updating and streamlining infrastructure. This particular photo is a little late being taken over the summer when the Euclid Corridor was having it's sidewalk installed around East 9th and Euclid. Next to the Porta-john are two of the many above ground electrical cabinets which pepper and infringe upon the sidewalk adding to the massively uncoordinated hodgepodge of obsticles pedestrian are expected to avoid. One wonders from where did these sudden metal stalewarts emerge? Well, most of them used to be located within underground vaults, out of site and out of the way. Perhaps (admittidly) a little more difficult to access for maintenance and no doubt more expensive but I am curious what inherent statement is being proclaimed. Either Cleveland doesn't give a shit about it's appearance or Cleveland is too imcompetant to coordinate a streetscape project that involves ONE STREET. Not a huge city masterplan, not a neighborhood redevelopment plan but one freakin' street.

Even Public Square, that celebrated "image" of the city, arguably Cleveland's front door (if one were to take public transportation to get downtown or park in the copious adjacent surface parking) is randomly peppered with unattractive metal cabinets, usually positioned in such a way as to form a cohesive chokepoint with lamp posts.

Some may be concerned that SBS is overly sensitive about this but to be honest SBS is relatively sick of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio's management insulting good taste, competence and logic by continuously rushing to poor decisions or simply not caring. It says nothing positive for our region or inhabitants if this is us "putting our best foot forward". In fact it makes us look like a bunch of unsophisticated asses.