The Naval Training Center in San Diego
Essay Preview: The Naval Training Center in San Diego
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The Naval Training Center in San Diego, California has trained over 70 members in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve. After it was closed it was developed as a Liberty Station which restores waterfront access to the public to create parks and creative-arts facilities (Block). Corky McMillin, the developer for the project combined a mixture of public help and planning to make the station successful. San Diego held hundreds of meetings, workshops, and intense design coordination with the help of thousands of citizens. It was important that the jobs in the community be replaced after the closing of the base. Liberty Station encompasses 361 acres. On the north shore of San Diego Bay, near downtown and the airport, the community will have 125 acres of parks and open space; a historic nine-hole golf course; shopping and restaurants; a 28-acre civic, arts, and cultural district; two hotels; offices; 349 homes; and a 22-acre educational campus including seven schools (Block).
This addition to the city of San Diego has proven to be quite a pleasant change. The building of homes and townhouses provides a range of building types and choices for eager neighbors. Keeping with the architectural style home have garages that can be accessed through alleys, porches and balconies. With such a large amount of green space and parks the neighborhood will be a “walkable neighborhood” which will encourage more exercise and bicyclist and cheaper transportation options. With more than 1,500 families wanting to move to the new location income and tax revenue are expected to increase. Over 8,000 jobs are hoped to be created which will generate about 4.8 million annually and $750,000 annually for low and moderate income housing (Block). Liberty Station has become a well-rounded community with office, schools, and parks all with access to the water. This project was a wonderful alternative to wasted land and abandoned buildings.
The State of Missouri has joined the Smart Growth movement with an organization called Complete Streets which also promote more green space and a “walkable neighborhood”. This advocacy groups focuses on making walkways accessible to not only the general public but all the handicap and disabled. Making streets usable for everyone promotes sustainable transportation, active lifestyles, and safer access to jobs and school. It directly impacts problems like childhood diabetes, obesity, simple justice (freedom of movement for everyone), air quality, water quality, and climate protection. The Missouri Department of Transportation expects to use 25% of their funding to promote this project.
The project does not only want to increase the amount of sidewalks or open space, they also want to build bus shelters, bicycle lanes, median refuges, shoulders on roads, and audible pedestrian signals.
The state has increased the number of Complete Street policies from 3 policies in 2007 to 21 policies in