[LINK] "Being safe doesn't mean it has to be ugly"

[rfmcdonald]

John Gallagher at the Detroit Free Press argues against ugly security-inspired architecture, the sort which worsens urban landscapes and could be superseded by better design.

Several years ago, the FBI announced it was looking for 10 acres in or near downtown Detroit to build a regional headquarters. The project fell through when the FBI could not find suitable space. Some people lamented the loss, but from an urban planning stance, Detroit dodged a bullet.

Security requirements for government buildings today have grown so severe that they produce bunker-like buildings surrounded by high fences and razor wire. Such security measures may be necessary in today's age of terrorism. But bunkers off-limits to the public do little or nothing to create the lively walkable places that are today's norm for urban revitalization.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's regional center on Warren east of I-75 in Detroit, which opened a decade ago, is one example. When ground was broken back in 2004, city leaders hailed the project as a gem, and architecturally, the building is quite fine. Designed by Detroit-based SmithGroupJJR, it features spacious interiors and a rich array of stone, metal and glass surfaces. But the building is set far back from the road behind security fences that it would take a tank to smash through.

Such projects violate the basic tenet of what planners today call place-making — an elusive quality of walkable urbanism achieved through densely populated streets alive with shops, restaurants, offices, housing and public spaces. Both downtown and Midtown Detroit are transforming with place-making principles in mind. Witness the array of new eateries and attractions in Midtown and the lively mix of street-level attractions in and around Campus Martius.

An essential piece of place-making is that there be as few gaps as possible in the streetscape. Huge off-limits government projects create enormous gaps in the flow of visual interest that encourages pedestrian traffic. Granted, projects like the Federal Reserve center on Warren are not open to the public, but placing such projects in the midst of a redeveloping district hurts, rather than helps, the revitalization effort.