Last weekend I shot my third Better Block. This one was interesting in that there was no street traffic - it was on the Cuyahoga Falls Pedestrian Mall. The Pedestrian Mall used to be a main street that was closed to traffic decades ago. The concept at the time was that it would help save downtown by competing with the suburbs. Some say the concept didn't work because the area is very underutilized - seeing the Better Block be a smashing success made me think that maybe the concept didn't fail but the timing of it did. The area has a few antique shops, one cafe, one bar and lots of abandoned store fronts. The Better Block added multiple food places, outdoor seating, a beach-play area, beer garden, night market and more. The area was packed with people for two days.
Take a look at these photos - could the area be like this every weekend with the right mix of business and activities - or does the street really need to be reopened to traffic to succeed.
Crowds in front of the pop-up shops.
Market Area
The Social Dept. and there awesome designs.
Akron Coffee Roasters
Pop-up plant and book shops.
If you build it they will come.
Day at the beach.
People will come out and spend money - they just need the right thing to spend it on.
From the beer garden.
There was also a "road diet" on Portage Trail(the intersection) with added bike lanes.
Blimp Flyover
Traditional Kyle photo.
LEDs
Night Market
Day Two - at the bar car.
From above
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