Turning Ellicott City's Main Street into a Pedestrian Street?

I've been recently thinking about the concept of turning Ellicott City's Historic Main Street into a pedestrian-only zone, removing vehicles from the corridor. The thought came into my mind after going to Ellicott City's MusicFest this past weekend, and realizing how congested the downtown area becomes when cars and pedestrians fight for space. This got me thinking, wouldn't sectioning off this main artery for pedestrians, increase visitors and enhance the Ellicott City experience?

Ellicott City's Main Street

This concept has been implemented in many cities across the United States, like Cumberland in Western Maryland, and New York's Ithaca in the Finger Lakes. Those communities are now celebrated for their pedestrian-friendly atmospheres; something that E.C. is certainly lacking. Whenever I travel to Main Street, the feeling of being taken back in time quickly disappears when traffic snarls up Maryland's Route 144. During a normal day, parking usually isn't too much of an issue because of the city's many free visitor parking lots. However, when walking down Main Street, you are mere inches away from cars much of the time, causing a sense of claustrophobia and danger. So I went to my Google Maps, and created a new plan for my version of the new Ellicott City.


My proposed plan includes a new bypass for Historic Ellicott City, by rerouting traffic on a new road that I've coined "Ellicott City Parkway". This new parkway would leave old Frederick Road in Oella, and cross the Patapsco River undercutting south of Ellicott City. The new road would intersect all of the major roads on the south side: College Avenue, New Cut Road and Old Columbia Pike. The bypass would terminate and join Rogers Avenue at the intersection of old Frederick Road/Main Street on the west side. Manahan Drive is also extended to intersect the new bypass to increase connectivity. I've also added a new bikeway/path and a park on this new road in order to increase access to greenspace and the historic district.

A design for Ithaca's Pedestrian Mall.

For the pedestrian zone, Main Street would be sectioned off from Old Columbia Pike to the west end, and Maryland Avenue to the east end. All of Main Street from those two points, and Tiber Alley would be only used by pedestrians and authorized vehicles. This new zone would be the perfect place for entertainers (like that Bubble Blowing guy that's always there, ghost tours, festivals, and socializing). Old Columbia Pike and Main Street could also include a drop off zone area at the curve.
Of course this plan would require extensive work, and might not even be allowed due to historic conditions under the historic district and the Historic National Road (MD 144). Either way, it is worth thinking about how we can make Ellicott City more pedestrian and biker friendly.

Introduction: Building Community in Changing Neighborhoods

Community, Gentrification, and Station North

A sense of community is essential to the health and success of a group of individuals. Without the presence of a community, the group slowly weakens and disconnects. I believe that the process of gentrification can be both good and bad, often depending on the neighborhood at hand. If a sense of community is absent from a particular community, gentrification could often take place to fill the void. For neighborhoods such as these, I think gentrification can be useful so that the neighborhood can return to a vital state.

 

Station North is a unique example of a changing neighborhood in Baltimore. Many claim that Station North is an example of gentrification, but I disagree. As a child, I remember North Avenue before the creation of the arts district. At that time during the late 1990s/early 2000s, the area was dilapidated, depressing, and lacked development of any kind. Presently, Station North has transformed the North Avenue corridor to a vibrant arts community for everyone to enjoy. 

For our class, Community in America, I think it would be great to focus on the spatial aspect of community in Station North. As an intern for the Section.1 Art Park project, we focus on how we can create a public space for everyone in the neighborhood and Baltimore as a whole. Our class project could elaborate on this concept, and look in detail at the changing spaces around Station North. By associating these spaces with people, we can get a better idea of how these changes impact the individuals around them.