A new River City Mall?
Will 50 years make a difference?
This post will appeal most to those who reside in Metro Louisville— um, in Louisville.
Even though the Metro Louisville ‘MSA’ —Metropolitan Statistical Area— has enlarged to include 16 counties since the 2020 Census, ‘all news is local.’ We citizens have a laser focus on news that directly affects our lives. Read more about our new MSA later in this post.
Not long ago Bardstown Road provided four lanes to drivers during the heaviest drive-time with parking allowed on the street from 9 AM to 3 PM.
The pattern was revamped during Metro Council member Brandon Coan’s term (2016-’20) to widen or narrow some congested areas so that traffic could somewhat sail through at all hours.
Now, the stretch between Eastern Parkway and Broadway is changing to “make the street safer, more accessible and more beautiful.” This description is from an OpEd in the July 11, 2022, C-J written by the Friends of Bardstown Road.
Hundreds of trees will be planted. Visual clutter (unused utility poles, the ping-pong lights hanging above the street) will be removed. New bump-outs and crosswalks will be added to make the street easier to cross. Bus stops will be improved to make transit run more seamlessly.
Meanwhile, the project will have drastic effects on adjacent streets.
An opposed Courier-Journal OpEd says:
Why is the city creating a pedestrian mall on a major commuter thoroughfare? The bigger question for taxpayers is: why is the city giving away public infrastructure for the benefit of private businesses?
I’m pretty sure this Opinion Contributor’s perspective that this change is “for the benefit of private businesses” will not be proven accurate.
For many who have no recollection of the River City Mall, it entailed the conversion of Louisville’s Fourth Street into a pedestrian-friendly city site, but as traffic was curtailed or altogether blocked, the street —renamed to Avenue— became a haunt for mostly dying businesses. After many years, Fourth Avenue became a street again.
A blog dating to 2010 describes how the redesign of Fourth Street from Broadway to the north, did not help to revitalize the district, but instead was a punishing blow.
So, we wonder, despite the work-from-home trend and the high price of gas, will curtailing traffic help or hinder the establishments along Bardstown Road? There is a bonus when many travelers see a shop or restaurant and their outdoor signs— their primary means of advertising.
As people find new routes to take, will new ‘Bardstown Roads’ begin to appear?
It has been said Fail to plan and plan to fail. Yet the essence of the free market is the lack of constraints and bureaucratic planning and the ‘Invisible Hand’ that keeps everything in balance. One thing we can do this November is to get out and vote for candidates who will push back against government ‘mission creep’ et cetera.
An aside: The Visible Hand
The 2020 Census brought about precinct changes and lots more. The graphic shows the size of Metro Louisville today.
Historically, almost 75 years ago, Kentuckiana consisted of only Jefferson Co. in Ky. and Clark and Floyd in Indiana. Over the years, Kentuckiana has evolved to include 16 counties. When we hear on the news or in meetings that Louisville Metro has a population of 1.6 million, we can envision the above map.
There is some confusion since Scottsburg in Scott Co., Ind., is listed as part of the Louisville MSA in one list, but Madison in Jefferson Co., Ind., is listed in another on the web page. I chose to show the list with Madison. However, the map graphic shows Scottsburg, not Madison. Also confusing are the differing figures for Jefferson Co., Ky., population. Some internet pages say it is around 785,000 today and was 615,000 in 2020.
Finding current data with references on population in Kentucky counties is confounding. We do read that there were more deaths than live births in Ky. In 2020. How Jefferson Co. gained 170K people between roughly 2020 and 2022 is —miraculous? Bear in mind, getting federal money relies on statistics.