Lovely Bicycle!

Browsing for photos of bicycles under the Google search ‘street etiquette bicycles‘ I found this post by Lovely Bicycle! blogger, Velouria. Lovely.

‘Cycling in Lower Manhattan.’

Currently in the Works: Tampa Bay’s future.

The highlight of my night: Restitch Tampa. Image via news.usf.edu

Where is Tampa’s urban future headed? And who will take part in deciding it?

Hopefully it is headed in a real unique direction, and perhaps small businesses and entrepreneurs will be at the forefront. At the Not Your Average Speakers kick-off last week brought to us by the awesome 83 Degrees Media, I was inspired particularly by the speakers who touched on issues of start-ups in Tampa, sustainable ideas for the design of the city, and culturally explicit endeavors in making Tampa a purposeful and distinct destination city.

But when I think of the future of any planning endeavor, I think primarily on the sustainability factor. The mindfulness of the ecological footprint we make with the construction of our cities is central to me. Because of this, that is precisely why I found one speaker that night especially captivating.

Just days before the event, I learned of Restitch Tampa, a University of South Florida (USF) and the National Endowment for the Arts sponsored talent search to find urban design students and professionals that could contribute innovative and ecological ways to re-frame the centrality of the river with downtown Tampa city development. The framework of people, planet and profit fit perfectly in the competition’s main objective of social, economic and ecological designs. I was happy to hear assistant professor of USF’s School of Architecture & Community design and panelist, Shannon Bassett, emphasize the ecological factor the most, because I believe not only is that the future of Tampa, it is the future of any city that wishes to become even more unique, even more functional, even more economically viable, even more smart.

I briefly caught a story on NPR a few weeks ago that commented on the growth of cities linked to the staying power for recent college graduates provided by new innovation and job creation. The speaker stated that the young professionals are more likely to go to a city that offers jobs and exciting new prospects in their job field, rather than return to a small town or stagnant city that offers them no opportunities.

So in regards to the future of Tampa, will it attract young professionals to migrate here, or will the graduates pursue other options in a new location after graduating college or grad school?

One important factor that small businesses, big businesses, and state governments cannot ignore is the green factor being introduced and emphasized in higher education these days. Current students and young professionals, especially in the fields of architecture, urban planning and economics, are learning more about our local economies impact on the environment more than ever before. Because of their green sensitivities, I strongly believe that they will either look for places to practice that skill, or create green outlets for themselves. It’s simply a sign of the times.

Therefore I was extremely happy (and relieved) to hear Bassett touch on the essentiality of the river incorporated into the overall design objective, Tampa project the Green Artery and the desire of including pedestrian and bike friendly paths as an integral component idea to the landscape of the competition. This sustainable sensitivity should be embraced when we plan out our future.

And not to be overlooked, the entire panel brought great topics of interest to the discussion: Robert Ledford from Baker Barrios Architects introduced the Encore! project that will clearly bring that real sense of individuality to the Tampa area via a rich African-American musical history. Mike Kennedy of Suncoast Community Capital reminded attendees that focusing on the “next big thing” might not be the real objective; rather how to sustain small but vibrant efforts that new entrepreneurs make will create a complete synergy to shift our economic environment from a stagnant one, to a robust one. He also reinforced the understanding that the information technology sector has seen the least amounts of unemployment and is a sustainable industry to develop and grow in.

The kick-off was a very positive event and one I’m hoping to not only learn from but actively engage in. I am looking forward to participating more in the next panel discussion, which will take place on November 17th, 2011. For more information, visit 83 Degrees Media for the specifics.