While I think we have a beautiful city and love living here, I can’t help but notice some of our urban decay just two or blocks from some of our biggest downtown draws, such as the new Pappajohn Sculpture Garden or our entertainment Court Avenue District.

Wikipedia defines urban decay as: “a process by which a city, or a part of a city, falls into a state of disrepair. It is characterized by depopulation, economic restructuring, property abandonment, high unemployment, fragmented families, political disenfranchisement, crime, and desolate and unfriendly urban landscapes.” I think downtown Des Moines’ urban decay is focus around property abandonment and unfriendly urban landscapes.

One of the main thoroughfares into downtown from the airport is crossing the George Carver Washington bridge on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. Take a look at two of the first buildings that you see when coming into downtown this way, the Crane Co. building and the once proposed Opus condo building. I’m not sure who owns it or what can be done about it, but check out the two photos below.

So what can be done to help prevent future urban decay, it’s quite simple really. You can start by contributing to the future of the place where you live or work. Simply by supporting downtown businesses, whether that’s shopping downtown or eating at local restaurants is a great start. This helps our local economy to thrive and encourages business to stay put instead of leaving downtown for the burbs.

Next, consider donating your time or money to downtown programs and taking pride in downtown. Keep in mind that crime, graffiti and litter can all discourage business and social confidence. Would you want to shop or live where you don’t feel comfortable or safe?

closeAuthor: MulderDSM Name: Larry Bradshaw
Email: admin@livingdowntowndesmoines.com
Site: http://www.larrybradshaw.net
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