From tonight’s City Council meeting agenda:
23. Charles Luster request to change the name of Chandler St., from Main St. to Park Ave., to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Worcester Magazine notes that four new streets will be created by the CitySquare project, which the City suggests be called Church Street, Mercantile Street, Trumbull Street, and Eaton Place. You know they could only have come up with such crappy names on purpose, to wave a red flag in the face of those who love the city, in hopes that those folks would respond with a list of excellent names such as Worcester deserves.
Why not name one of the new streets MLK? Follow that up with Abbott Hoffman Way and Harvey Ball Boulevard (which would lead motorists right to Smiley Square).
We now have a street named after Major Taylor. Let’s keep the momentum going and recognize more Worcester heroes this way.
Speaking of Worcester heroes, Gary Rosen is on his way to becoming my favorite City Councilor with agenda items like this:
37. Request the City Manager consider the feasibility of introducing rubber sidewalks in the City of Worcester. (Rosen)
A worthy follow-up to his rat proposal.
The reader who submitted the above agenda items also sent this one in:
C. Request City Council Accept an Offer from the Worcester Sharks to Provide Transportation, Admission, Food and Refreshments for City Officials to Attend the Inaugural Worcester Sharks Game at the Portland Pirates on Friday, October 6th at 7:05 pm.
Some day I hope to be able to influence street names in my capacity as an urban planner. Unfortunately most of the street naming action takes place by the developers, and generally it’s a lot more fun working for cities rather than developers.
So much for me to make unproductive comments on!
1. Chris Rock summed it up best ‘If a friend calls you on the telephone and says they’re lost on Martin Luther King Boulevard and they want to know what they should do, the best response is ‘Run!’
2. How about Independence Street or Isaiah Thomas Drive, you know many cities can lay claim to being the first to hear The Declaration of Independence read publicly.
3. Rubber sidewalks = worst idea ever. They last 7 years, cost 30% more than concrete slabs (which is already more expensive than the cheap asphalt job most of our walk get) AND cheapen what it means to live in a city. Give me concrete or give me death!
In Beverly Hills, they’re considering a proposal to repave the sidewalks around Rodeo Drive with granite. Some of the businesses are balking at the idea.
I think it’s interesting how every street named after MLK that I’ve seen is a re-named existing street through a depressed inner-city area. Why not name a boulevard through a new suburb after MLK instead? Heck, why not a Mahatma Gandhi Drive?
I do like how in Dallas there’s a Malcolm X Boulevard. Not even Oakland has that.
Buck: “How about Independence Street or Isaiah Thomas Drive, you know many cities can lay claim to being the first to hear The Declaration of Independence read publicly.”
That’s a great idea. (Might be one in the city already though, I should check my city map.)
In a similar historical vein, “We’re Not Going to Enforce the Fugitive Slave Act Street.”