In more J-Town planning news, we get a glimpse of the highly technical planning process behind the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan, which includes input from local residents and "stakeholders." In order to show where they envision housing, playgrounds, green space, and other urban infrastructures. Participants took a cue from grade school workbooks by placing stickers on a poster-sized map of the neighborhood. We like a little transparency and early interactivity in the planning process— hopefully this'll prevent last minute complaints and petitions from delaying redevelopment. The J-town Better Neighborhood Plan (a.k.a. JBetNabPln) is also reviewing the Geary Street redevelopment (or the "Berlin Wall") in hopes of creating a more visually and functionally pedestrian friendly Japantown. In order the analyze traffic densities throughout the busy urban corridor, the JBetNabPln will be using matchbox cars, so expect the revised plan to include plenty of loop-de-loops and awesome jumps.
· Japantown Planning Talks Continue [Asia Week]
[Image via EDAW and Robin Chiang]