Downtown Kalamazoo

1.  My first reactions to the Downtown Kalamazoo business area were the wide sidewalks and the one way street.  The wide sidewalks make it very easy to walk around the area plus the one way street makes traffic far less, creating a safer environment for people to walk.  To further the safety of walking in the downtown area I also noticed the order of shops and restaurants throughout the street; it seemed that the order was retail type store followed by a restaurant or a small walk-in food place.  I thought this was a good order because too much of the same store type might lead shoppers to skip over shops.  The downtown area also had plenty of benches for sitting which was nice and trees to make the area look nicer.  As far as safety is concerned, the police station is located right in downtown.

 

2.  The downtown of Kalamazoo should: add more shops, there didn't feel like very many small shops with little gifts and things of that sort; try to add a larger store like a Dillard's as a primary vocal point of the area; and finally add more sit down and dine restaurants to attract people at dinner time.

 

3. "Towns, Gibbs insists, must follow the malls' example in dealing with the public's fears. That means ensuring a visible police presence, removing or rearranging benches and other features that encourage loitering, and keeping the streets and sidewalks clean."  

Downtown Kalamazoo takes a firm stand with public safety by locating a police station right in the vicinity; therefore, even thought downtown contains benches that encourage loitering, the police presence more than makes up for it.