Downtown Kalamazoo

1. Downtown Kalamazoo is very different from what I expected it to look like. There are lots of benches, trees, and the ground is a beautiful brick. I liked how there were a different mix of stores and all of the stores have open glass windows so they are very inviting. I noticed that it seemed like it went store then restaurant for almost the whole way down the street. That was different to me because I am not use to seeing that many restaurants downtown.

2. For the downtown I can give a few recommendations to improve it. The first thing that they should do is to scrape the gum off of the ground because I noticed it without looking for it. Another thing I would do would be to take out some of the benches and trees. Even though they look pretty they are distracting to me. The last change I would make would be to have easier parking. The parking looked difficult and it seemed like it was tough to find a spot.

3. Fear of crime is one of the things that keep them away, and grimy sidewalks are one of many signs that hint at disorder, in Gibbs's view. Standing outside the gym at the corner of Clematis and Dixie Highway, he discourses at length on an untidy collection of benches, tables, and chairs outside a café across the highway. This is civic space only in theory. In fact it poses a threat to civic existence. "Those benches make it look like this is a very difficult place to walk," he says, putting himself in the shoes of the average (that is, female) shopper. "You've got to squeeze between those benches. And if a teenager or some street person happens to be there, you would have to touch them, because you're so close together. That is like a sign saying DON'T ENTER."

This article relates to Kalamazoo's downtown in different ways. Kalamazoo's downtown is what this article says what not to do. Even though Gibbs says that this is a big don't enter for the stores it works for Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo has lots of benches, tables, and chairs but it seemed like the people who were shopping were only using them for a little while but they could still look at the different stores. When I sat down to write something down my eyes kept looking around and my eyes stayed busy. According to Gibbs Kalamazoo does things all wrong but they pull it off well