5 Travel Lanes (one turn) Lane and two bike lanes plus parking create one of the widest main streets in New England
Our Initial Takeaways
Main Street is your most important asset. It is not performing very well. It is basically more a highway than a real "Main Street". So much of what's best about Great Barrington is hidden from those driving through. You are not alone. Most New England towns have been badly served by the State Transportation Agencies....but Great Barrington comes out as the "Poster Child" of what not to do...and it points out how devastating a narrowly focused discipline with all the data necessary can create a totally lifeless, frictionless street can be designed to advance their goals
The streets are wider than they need to be leaving the impression that getting through town in the shortest time possible with the least "friction" is the highest priority.
As one gets into the downtown core from both directions the emphasis shifts to a focus on "driving through not to"...Rather than allowing visitors from taking in the nuances that going slower could add to their experience of the visitor.
There are few uses on Main Street that jump out to attract one as you drive through. Parked vehicles is what everyone sees at "eye level" with handsome, historic builds above them. Storefronts are well designed acording to "uniform design standards", but they are more about "Architecture" than what is being offered to potential customers. Trees, though small are spaced evenly rather than accentuating unique places along the street. The City Hall is set back with an automobile drop-off with limited appeal.
The City Hall is set back with little connection to Main Street
Out of Sight out of Mind
Train Station and street leading to the "active center" of Downtown
Railroad Street might be great when it is closed to parking and for those who know it is there, but to the passerby, it doesn't exhibit the importance that the local community places on it. The curbs are fixed giving the impression that it is first and foremost a street, and not the destination locals know it to be.
One of the best destinations in any town in the state is in Great Barrington in a parking lot next to the movie theatre completely isolated from the Main Street.
The town lacks any significant public spaces.
The one exception is the library with their book carts. There are no squares, small parks or museums that add to the draw in the downtown. The main attraction is hidden behind the Main Street buildings mostly on the west side between Main Street and the railroad tracks.
Fred Kent
Fred Kent
Fred Kent
The Library is the only significant Landmark on Main Street
The Mason Library easily the best destination on Main Street. It could be so much better... Just by the simple act of pulling out book carts, people are flocking to browse, thus creating the simple evidence that it doesn't take much to create a place to gather. The site has potential to become three spaces...a side plaza, a potential central gathering plaza and a seating area under the tree. It could grow from there. So, with just a little more work, it could easily become a square or hub that the Main Street needs. We understand that a special sculpture of W.E.B. Du Bois, the civil rights activist is planned for in front of the library. (see below for examples) This could be very important? The library also is next to a church and across from the Post Office. Putting the three together could be an easy win...
Main Street is not child friendly. There are no evident playgrounds, child friendly sculpture, water fountains, etc. The one exception is the Prairie Whale that is truely a special destination and the only child friendly place we saw downtown...but there is no sense of its presence from Main Street. It is half a block across from the library...a narrowing of the street, an enhanced crosswalk, colored with some art could draw attention to this really important pair of places.
Benchmarks Communities
Saratoga Springs north of Albany, New York, shows how to make a main street work with roughly the same dimensions between buildings that Great Barrington has. Your center of town was designed for highway levels of traffic to reduce any friction. One aspect of their idea of the perfect road was provide turning lanes to not interrupt traffic flow. Also, the stores along Main Street do not have the presence that Saratoga Springs has.
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs has one of the most vibrant Main Street in the Northeast. It is, also a state road...actually, starting on Broadway in New York City and ending up on the border of Canada. Historically it was the main road connecting NYC to Montreal and Canada. What is unique is that it has wide, 30 foot sidewalks make it unique.
Because of their width, people can stick to walking closer by to the buildings that line the street, meaning that one's walking path is well-removed from the road. This is also helped by the fact that pedestrians are also separated from the street by grass, a planter, a large shade tree, or (in some cases) an actual plaza in front of each property. In many parts of town, café seating is both directly next to the buildings and in the areas between the sidewalk and the streets, creating a double- loaded sidewalk setting.
Corners in Saratoga Springs are active, too. Meanwhile, extended block faces with small storefronts create an inviting experience for pedestrians passing through.
As mentioned, this all adds up to the perfect example of a double-loaded sidewalk. The car activity on the street is kept out of the way of pedestrians, who can focus on other things rather than the rush and noise of traffic. It is safe for people of all ages, and children can roam freely.
Potential - Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper Activations
We are leading a global effort to connect climate change and local community placemaking transformations. This link and others below and our site, Placemakingfund.org and the two programs, Placemakingx.org and Sociallifeproject.org, describe our work. Placemaking has become a global initiative led locally by over 19 regions covering every continent and culture.
These 11 agendas, in the link below, are applicable to all sizes of communities. The ones in this post are large scale transformations, many of which we have been involved in. All of them can be adapted to Great Barrington.
Fred Kent
Your potential is enormous. A few hundred small changes and a few catalytic projects, most of which could be done quickly, could change that perception.
Main Street is key. If it becomes a series of places, it could easily tip the balance where the traffic would want to slow down to see and participate in a special experience that you offer. David Engwicht an Australian zealous nut talks about how to calm traffic by creating uses that people are interested in. Here in this image he is sitting on the Champs-Elysees in Paris...He slowed the traffic down.
David Engwicht
Comfortable seating, extending intersections where people can gather, opening storefronts to exhibit, displaying goods or provide double loaded seating for restaurants would have an immediate impact. The main intersection in New Haven where Clair's Cornucopia was saved by having an extended sidewalk and corner.
Fred Kent
These are just a few of the many opportunities that you could create for Great Barrington. We suggest that you look at these posts and write down your thoughts.
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