By Joe Baur
Downtown needs to play ball.
Or ultimate Frisbee, football or soccer.
Planning groups are currently determining what to do with the Mall C area next to the Med Mart development project. City planners have openly discussed decorating the space with public art.
It’s not a bad idea. But it’s not an idea that considers what’s missing in downtown living. That is, a sports field for pickup games and intramurals.
Downtown already has the Free Stamp. It’s actually just a couple blocks away from Mall C. The Free Stamp usually receives mix reviews, although it does have the Toby Radloff stamp of approval (terrible pun intended). I don’t know about you, but that makes me like it more for some reason.
Regardless of your feelings toward the giant rubber stamp, we can all agree nobody goes downtown for the sole purpose of visiting the 28-foot tall piece of office equipment. We can also agree nobody lives downtown for the amenity of being a short walk away from the stamp. The question is, do we need to be investing in more public art if our goal is to continue developing downtown as a neighborhood, attracting, retaining and sustaining the increasingly important young professional demographic?
Yes, but as a supplement to a recreation field.
I believe public art should be an accoutrement to more ambitious projects, such as a sports field offering pickup and intramural football, ultimate Frisbee, soccer, and maybe even softball if there’s enough space. Instead of making public art the main attraction, it can surround the space to add visual excitement for those who have come to Mall C for a little friendly competition in downtown Cleveland. Perhaps the art highlights Cleveland’s tremendous sports history, or maybe some CIA art students can create something truly messed up. I’m open to suggestions.
Problem is, the average age of the planning commission is a tad higher than the average age of downtown residents. That’s not to say our elders shouldn’t have a say on downtown development. They are, after all, our elders and are typically wiser.
But young professionals comprise the majority of downtown residents, and young professionals will be the ones filling the job market left by retiring baby boomers. Not to mention the generation following we Millennials will be even smaller in number. This means Cleveland must do everything in its power to remain an attractive destination; so future young professionals continue to fill our growing downtown neighborhood.
What better way to enhance downtown living than to offer recreational activities right in our backyard? Hell, people come from the suburbs to play in some of Cleveland Plays’ intramural leagues in Old Brooklyn and Wendy Park. Why not the heart of our city?
Imagine the sound of activity on a sunny Saturday afternoon without the aid of an Indians game. Food trucks would surround Mall C, feeding tired athletes after a hard fought game before heading to one of our many surrounding drinking establishments. Wouldn’t you want to live in a neighborhood like that? Not to mention you could do it all without stepping foot in a car.
To drive the point home, the Cleveland Young Professional Senate recently released a survey conducted in 2011 asking respondents the top five aspects they most like in an urban park. 58.2 percent selected a green space for ultimate Frisbee, football, etc. Walking tracks and trails came second with 56.5 response percent, an area for concerts, entertainment and rallies received 54.3 percent, then free Wi-fi with 45.1 percent, and finally public art installations at 37.5 percent.
How about all of the above?
Start with the green space for sports while raising money from surrounding businesses and institutions, such as the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, with a vested interest in downtown’s residency future to install a weatherized track around the field. Free Wi-fi can come as it’s affordable to install, groups could plan summer concerts much like the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame series, and public art could be commissioned to decorate the surrounding area.
Imagine the energy this hypothetical park could generate amongst the community. What better way to show the country “Cleveland is back!” than to promote development supportive of keeping the city active seven days a week?
I’m jacked up just thinking about it. And you should be, too!
Public art sounds nice in the short-term, but let’s show a little foresight. Let’s think about what will sustain the downtown population and continue attracting new residents. Let’s come together and do something ambitious the entire community can rally behind.
All we need is the will to show our leaders this is what we want.
Joe Baur is a freelance writer, filmmaker and satirist with a diverse array of interests including travel, adventure, craft beer, health, urban issues, culture and politics. He ranks his allegiances in the order of Cleveland, the state of Ohio and the Rust Belt, and enjoys a fried egg on a variety of meats. Joe has a B.A. in Mass Communication with a focus on production from Miami University. Follow him at MildlyRelevant.com and on Twitter @MildlyRelevant.
One Response to “What To Do With Mall C?”
Eric
I thought “Mall C” was the area between City Hall and the County Courthouse, which means that the area you’re writing about is, perhaps, “Mall B”?