Center City

Improve second story building use in the central business district

Submitted by Chris Hardie in Historic Preservation

This idea was suggested by a participant at this morning's brainstorming meeting at the Uptown Innovation Center:

Increase green spaces in the central business district

Submitted by Chris Hardie in Neighborhoods and Families

This idea was suggested by a participant at this morning's brainstorming meeting at the Uptown Innovation Center:

It would be great to have more green spaces where workers in the central business district could sit to eat lunch, read, relax, etc. while taking a break from their work day. This could be done in partnership with local businesses, property owners, the Parks department, and the City government.

Make the downtown parking garage more user-friendly

Submitted by Chris Hardie in Transportation

This idea was suggested by a participant at this morning's brainstorming meeting at the Uptown Innovation Center:

Replace downtown parking enforcement with good-will ambassadors

Submitted by Chris Hardie in Tourism and Marketing

Okay, the idea title is a little cheesy, but bear with me. The current parking enforcement situation in downtown Richmond is hurting, not helping the community. The cost of paying for the enforcement officer to give tickets on top of the negative perception and unwelcoming spirit that it creates is not worth whatever minor infractions it might be preventing or ancillary revenue it might be generating.

Install bike racks in key destination areas

Submitted by Chris Hardie

A city Richmond's size is great for biking around, but if cyclists have to worry about their bikes being stolen or damaged when they get to their destination, they may be less likely to take advantage of the opportunity. Bike racks really are a critical pieces of infrastructure for any urban area that wishes to attract visitors for shopping and browsing, and Richmond has gone without them for far too long. In difficult economic times, it's a relatively low-cost and easy solution that makes our public spaces and key destinations even more attractive and accessible.