Treating cities as ‘precious heirlooms’
Mark Gormus / Times-Dispatch
Charleston, S.C. Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. and Rachel Flynn, Director of Community Development for Richmond explore parts of Jackson Ward.
Joseph P. Riley Jr.'s formula for building a successful city means putting people first, paying attention to detail and making sure that decisions will stand up over time.
"We need to treat our cities as precious heirlooms that we're holding in trust for future generations," said Riley, mayor of Charleston, S.C., for the past 33 years.
He spoke to more than 400 government officials, business leaders and community activists at Building a Better Richmond, a two-part forum that kicked off yesterday at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.
Riley said Richmond's future is bright with historic neighborhoods, the James River, the state Capitol, a growing region and a diverse local economy. He praised the city's efforts to adopt a new Downtown Master Plan and claimed to have found no secret to "city-building."
"You just work at it," he said.
Riley said cities are like ecosystems in that they depend on the proper mix of buildings block to block. He stressed the importance of urban-design principles, such as putting retail on the street-level of buildings and widening sidewalks to accommodate pedestrians even if cars are inconvenienced.
Riley's appearance comes as the Richmond City Council is preparing to consider amendments to the Downtown Master Plan and as a developer's proposal to build the Echo Harbour condominium project on the riverfront is pending.
Riley offered no advice on how the city should respond to that proposal, but he stressed the importance of preserving the best land for the public. He described a fight with a developer in Charleston that ended in a land-swap that produced prime waterfront property for a city park.
Such amenities are critical, he said, because some residents won't have the ability to experience anything nicer.
"It is the public realm. It's the part of the city that everyone owns," Riley said of downtowns. "It's the democratic space. It's where citizenship is reinforced."
He also said cities must insist on quality in whatever is built.
"The fact of the matter is, in city-building, there's no reason to build anything that doesn't add to the beauty of your city," he said, showing photographs of subsidized housing with third-floor porches that blended into the historic neighborhood.
Richmond Mayor-elect Dwight Clinton Jones followed Riley to the stage and said Charleston has clearly benefited from innovative, courageous and collaborative leadership. He promised the same type of leadership and work in the region.
"Eight, 12 years from now, we'll have people calling Richmond, saying, 'How did you do it?' because Richmond is going to be that tier one, first-class city that we all want it to be," he said.
Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or
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Reader Reactions
Guess I got a partial answer to my question on how Charleston was doing in Saturday’s RTD editorial comments on their underperforming schools and the possibility of cheating to enhance test scores. It is fine to investigate how other localities like Charlotte and Charleston operate, but care must be taken when attempting to duplicate their plans in your own locality. There are always know and unknown differences that distinquish us. And of course these visiting experts likely will only mention the “good” things their efforts have brought about, but will they stand the test of time.
Also visited Charleston this year, forty years after being their with the Navy for few months. The historic area is indeed impressive, but it was 40 years ago. The new bridge as well as the development, museums and parks across the harbor are also great. But you will also see the continuing signs of poverty as you drive from the bridge into the historic district. I also wanted to visit the area of North Charleston where the now closed Naval base existed. I was warned that some of the neighborhoods surrounding the former base might not be quite safe. So Charleston also has its issues. The Historic district is however well worth the visit with its horse carriage tours, excellent restaurants, museums and visitor centers. And I would guess revenues from these help with the other issues. Would be curious to know the locals opinions on this, not just that of public officials.
I recently visited Charleston as a tourist, and I loved it. There are so many similarities between the cities, and though it’s history has been preserved better than Richmond’s and it has a wonderful climate with a beautiful harbor, which Richmond can’t boast. Still, there are many things that Richmond could borrow that would improve it for tourism and residents alike.
Mostly, Richmonders we meed to stop complaining and procrastinating and do something to help if you want improvements—complaining and whining about things ain’t the answer.
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