The Lure and Allure of the City

The lure and

Cities are important for

economic development because they provide the infrastructure for transportation, communications, power, water, sanitation, human interaction and jobs. The relationship of cities with their adjacent towns is significant for the cities’ own performance since towns provide the workforce with the skills and knowledge important to the success of the city’s economy.

Without its residents, cities and towns wither and die. The 1950s flight to the suburbs and the urban renewal in the decades that followed told that story. Northeast Pennsylvania towns and cities were part of that story. Many urban areas saw freeways built through their inner cities. Scranton native, Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) fought against the car-centered urban programs that changed the liveability of a neighborhood. She seemed to instinctively know that human inter-

allure of the city

action – in the cluster of individuals on sidewalks, the music of neighborhoods, neighbors visiting neighbors on their building stoops, the bodegas, cafes, museums and art districts –

By Christine Fanning

Photo: Brian T. Anderson

keeps cities as well as their towns humming, vibrant and alive. with them. less high rise housing projects for the urban poor,” (BBC). She became a journalist, author, theorist and activist who influenced urban studies, sociology and economics. Her book, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” argued that “urban renewal" and “slum clearance” did not respect the needs of city-dwellers. Jacobs advocated for "mixeduse" urban development businesses and people coexisting. She suggested that over time, buildings, streets and neighborhoods, sidewalks, parks, government and economy function as dynamic organisms, work synergistically and change in response to how people interact

Jacobs left Scranton and settled into Greenwich Village in Manhattan. Through her writings, she effectively saved the Village and lower Manhattan from “fast-flowing urban freeways potted about with soulThis understanding helps city planners discern how cities work, how they break down and how they could be better structured.

“Jane Jacobs wasn’t a city planner, and in the 1960s and

1970s many professional planners scorned her ideas,” said Maria MacDonald, executive director of the Center for the Living City which was launched by a group of activists, practitioners and academics in 2005. The Center for the Living City holds the singular distinction of being the only urbanist organization founded in collaboration with Jane Jacobs.

“In the past 30 years her thinking has had a huge effect on city planning and city planners. One example is that it's now accepted practice to attempt to listen to and include community wishes as part of the planning process. Also, the idea that it's not only not bad, but that it's a good and helpful thing to have stores and workplaces near where people live. What Jane called diversity of uses, is now bedrock belief in many parts of the planning profession. If only the transportation engineers would take to heart her dislike of freeways in cities,” MacDonald said.

Even in these days of smart phones, social media, interconnectedness and remote socializing connecting people to other towns, cities and countries almost instantly, “Jane Jacobs’ ideas are more important than ever,” MacDonald explained. “It’s part of human nature that people are still attracted to being – and need to be –around other people. But as we’ve had to do during the pandemic, fewer people are out and about, with fewer ‘eyes on the street.’ However, we've seen as pandemic restrictions eased during the summer, people have flooded to inperson activities. And Zooming all day seems to have made people less keen on spending their days with eyes glued to phones or computers.

As the idea of the living city permeates through a place, areas of mixed-use and mixed ages of buildings create a strong bond between social, economic and environmental ties,” MacDonald explained.

“More often than not, these old buildings exhibit an economic value that emulates a much deeper bond than a mere dollar sign.”

“The preservation aspect associated with the mixed diversity of buildings connects the web of relationships with the natural environment, social relations, place memory and sustainability. More often than not, these old buildings exhibit an economic value that emulates a much deeper bond than a mere dollar sign. Further, the integration of historic buildings live to tell stories of the past, the present and predictions of the future, based on societal relationships with the built and natural world. As the diversity of our built and natural environment intermingle, uses begin to weave into intricate patterns throughout the social fabric of the place.” The lessons that Jacobs observed can be seen in the city of Wilkes-Barre at street level, in its mix of new and architecturally aesthetic buildings in which many startups have happened, said Larry Newman, executive director of the Diamond City Partnership, the city’s downtown management organization. Four thousand residents make their homes downtown and 11,000 people work there. Two colleges are situated at either end and one is located on Public Square. Arts scenes, cultural facilities, performance spaces, restaurants, stores and hotels, as well as historic districts and parks, create a living downtown with multiple

reasons to be there. Wilkes-Barre has also adopted Jacobs’ criterion for shorter blocks which slows down cars and promotes walking by developing pedestrian pathways and greenways. Recently, “The Lady of the Valley,” a mural by Philadelphia artist Evan Lovett, was painted on the Hotel Sterling Annex building. She wears a crown and holds a diamond, which symbolizes the Diamond City and calls attention to the city’s past history. The city’s historical legacy drives Tony Brooks, president of City Council and director and curator of the Wilkes-Barre Preservation Society. Brooks is working to restore the Zebulon Butler House which was built in 1793 incorporating parts of a 1773 log cabin. When it’s renovated the Zebulon Butler House Museum will interpret the four generations of the Butler family that lived there from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War and will be restored to the Federal period of the 1820s.

“Architecture attracts,” Brooks said. “The stately mansions on Franklin and River Streets and historic districts are a vibrant part of the city, and the River Common Concert Series is a joyful gathering of hundreds of people merging in one spot then visiting the bars and restaurants downtown. tions – the YMCA, the library, museums and we need to be an advocate for the renovation of historical buildings like the Irem Temple” – which is listed as part of Wilkes-Barre’s Riverfront Historic District on the National Historic Register.

“A project like this is not viewed as a ‘patch’ on a city but rather a carefully choreographed interwoven network.”

Incidentally, Brooks mentioned the connection between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton as the old core of the region. “They need to be strong,” he said. “They hold the region and its towns together.” Newspaper stories have recently outlined Scranton’s downtown trend toward a residential neighborhood in reconstructed older buildings. Leslie Collins, president and chief executive officer of Scranton Tomorrow, the Electric City’s community and economic development organization said that the Samter’s Building on Lackawanna Avenue, for one, has been converted into a mixed-use historic rehab with a ground floor consisting of retail space and four floors with fully-occupied one bedroom apartments. Others are the historic buildings: Stoehr and Fister, on Adams Avenue and Spruce Street; The Connell building; 426 Mulberry; The Connell Lofts; and the Herold Building on Mulberry Street, one of the first Art Deco apartment buildings in the United States. Collins said Scranton Tomorrow is studying the gaps in the downtown that would heighten the desire for downtown living. Ideas include a downtown graband-go type of grocery store, and more walk versus drive and bicycling trails. According to Maria MacDonald, Scranton Lace Village, currently under

construction in North Scranton, ”will be an exemplary paradigm of a mixeduse village designed to knit itself back into the fabric of the surrounding neighborhoods of Scranton. A project like this is not viewed as a ‘patch’ on a city but rather a

carefully choreographed interwoven network.”

In Pittston City, located between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, a true Cinderella story has unfolded. Rose

Randazzo-Pizzutti,

an attorney in Pittston offered herself up as a volunteer Main Street manager. She worked closely with city officials, the business community and artists. To save the old architecture she helped write an ordinance to prevent new owners from changing the structure of buildings. She transformed the landscape with public art, interesting signage and huge murals, which made buildings landmarks, brought foot traffic to the sidewalks

and gave pride to the residents by reminding them of their history. Randazzo-Pizzuti committed to eight murals, one a year. A ride across Main Street shows some of them: Coal miners brought to life; another entitled “Inspiration,” a mural of hometown heroes that covers the whole side of a five-story building; another of women at work in a sewing factory; and a mural of a train.

When Luzerne County Community College brought its campus to Main Street, Randazzo-Pizzutti was ecstatic. “That meant hundreds of students, their parents and friends spending money in the shops and restaurants and at events.”

Randazzo-Pizzutti has also performed her magic in Scranton where she arranged for art murals: “Danseur” by Joel Carson Jones on Penn Avenue and Martin Luther King, “The Dream” by Eric Bussart and Emanuel Wisdom on Mulberry Street. In Binghamton, New York, Judi Hess, director of visitBinghamton.org said there are many reasons that people head downtown. She mentions a vibrant restaurant scene sans chains with events like martini walks and farmto-table ingredients that are locally sourced. This area is also a vivacious arts location with arts galleries, opera, symphony, First Friday music and events and a mural project. The boroughs of Honesdale, Jim Thorpe and Stroudsburg are just a few of the communities that Chris Barrett, president of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau said bring value to the Poconos by way of tourism. Main Street, Honesdale has become a home to boutiques, eateries, coffee shops and breweries. The farm-to-table opportunities and scenic overlooks, like Irving Cliff, are right in Honesdale's backyard. The Stourbridge Line is also a major draw for guests, which departs right from downtown. The Roots and Rhythm event during the summer has turned into a real destination. The Honesdale fair in August is also a huge draw for guests, with its delicious food, fun rides and activities.

Jim Thorpe offers both the charms of a European village and the thrills of a mountain sports destination. This historic town is one of the great draws of the Pocono Mountains. Originally known as Mauch Chunk, Jim Thorpe is not only home to a great athlete but to a destination rich with history. Victorian buildings of the past

are reprocessed as unique shops and eateries, museums and galleries and popular entertainment venues. Located in the Lehigh Gorge, the town is also home to a unique combination of things

“The boroughs of Honesdale, Jim Thorpe and Stroudsburg are just a few of the communities that... bring value to the Poconos by way of tourism.

to do, like the Lehigh Gorge State Park, which borders Jim Thorpe and can be accessed right from a bridge downtown. There are also rails and waterways, hiking and biking and whitewater rafting on the Lehigh River. Stroudsburg, just 84-miles from Manhattan, New York, has small-town glamour, modern appeal and a beautiful, walkable downtown. The vibrant downtown is home to museums and galleries, murals and music venues, wineries and restaurants and shops and boutiques. Stroudsburg is the birthplace of the J.J. Newberry department stores. Stroudsburg's quintessential architecture towers over the streets housing new businesses which meld the past and the present.

The cities and their surrounding towns in our region and beyond hold a fascination for students of culture and for travelers who wonder what makes the economy hum. Read more about Scranton native, Jane Jacobs whose writings championed a fresh, community based approach to city building. (Janeswalk.org) H

The cities and their surrounding towns in our region and beyond hold a fascination for students of culture and for travelers who wonder what makes the economy hum.

–Christine Fanning