Perhaps our state planners were hearing the words of Chicago’s master planner Daniel Burnham when they let loose another startling urban plan for Kakaako.
It was Burnham who said, "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood."
The early fear with any development news in Hawaii is that what will be stirred are developers’ bank accounts and the dwindling public acceptance of our shrinking open city space.
The latest plan, discussed Thursday by Star-Advertiser reporter Andrew Gomes, is offered by the semi-autonomous Hawaii Community Development Authority.
It would chop up the Blaisdell complex by fitting in affordable housing, a movie theater, a business hotel, an "iconic" 700-foot mixed-used high rise, a park and a plaza.
In return for all those high-impact goodies, the HCDA would permit the city to negotiate with the developer to also replace the arena, concert hall and exhibition area.
It reminds me of those TV reality shows where an architect swoops in with some sort of unlimited budget to give a homeowner a new front lawn, more closets, great rooms and kitchens for next to nothing. Of course, someone is paying for that largesse and one has to expect that cramming that much stuff in a space that now just holds the Blaisdell facilities won’t be a free trade-off.
I recall how former Mayor Frank Fasi’s innovative assistant, the late Bob Dye, would complain that Honolulu’s biggest urban planning mistake was what it did after it was offered the Ward property, which is now the Blaisdell complex.
Dye contended that if Honolulu had taken the property and started condemning the rest of the acreage all the way to the ocean, Thomas Square would be the capstone for a park running in green glory all the way to Kewalo Basin and we would now have one of the finest city open spaces on the globe.
Chicago did just that with its planned urban landscape, including parks all along Lake Michigan, forest preserves and parks within the city, broad streets and even the Navy Pier.
While Chicago forbade development along the lake, hotels in Honolulu are today trying to block out more of the view of the ocean from Kalakaua Avenue.
In Honolulu, the HCDA is doing the planning for the city’s heavy rail transit development along the train’s Kakaako route. There is not enough time to get into what the inclusion of trains running feet away from some of those newly planned condo towers along Halekauwila will mean. Although I doubt many will think it is a good thing.
It would be unfair, however, to condemn all of the HCDA’s work. If there is a sincere effort to follow some of the planning agency’s guidelines, Honolulu will be a better place.
For instance, the adoption of the "Complete Streets" concept is perfectly sound urban planning. The HCDA defines "Complete Streets" as "streets that have been planned, designed and operated with consideration to the needs of all travelers including people of all ages and abilities whether they are walking, riding a bicycle, taking public transportation or driving."
It makes Kakaako more of an urban village and should foster community.
Wishing for urban parks in overcrowded Honolulu may not be pragmatic or profitable, but how many of us are hoping for 700-foot high-rises?
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Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.
