Grand Intervention Posts Ideas for Civic Park
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Back in mid-July I posted about Grand Intervention, the Norman Lear Center project to gather ideas for how the Civic Center park should be transformed when it gets its Grand Ave. project makeover. At the time I wrote that
Though this is a sort of contest -- the "best" submitted ideas will appear online and in print -- I'd love to see them engage feedback on an ongoing basis through the site. Don't take ideas and then just spring them on interested parties all at once. Let ideas get feedback and be refined as the process occured.
Turns out they listened and not only posted a gallery of selected submissions but quoted my post on that page. They've also added little opinion boxes in the submissions, where others who had written in to weigh in on the various ideas are quoted. I haven't had a chance to read through all the ideas, but I'm so glad to see this kind of dialogue carried out in public.
Tim Quinn on September 01, 2005, at 12:28PM – #1
I sent the following email to you on Monday, it bounced. Next day you posted this.
Eric,
I read your comment on the Grand Avenue Intervention Submissions page that we need a blog to talk about this (I am paraphrasing). I had made the same comment to them myself and was told that they were looking into it, asking the Times to host. The appearance of your comment suggests they are indeed working on it but I have some concern about the speed they are moving. Beauracracy is nothing if not slow. The window to have real effect is closing fast.
I am a worrier . . .
I have to admit I have set up a blog called Bunker Hill Park on blogspot but have been waiting to push it until they made their move. No use in duplication of effort and they certainly have a better platform to build on than I do, but time is passing.
http://bunkerhillpark.blogspot.com
My intention was to solicit participation from downtowners, interview and transcribe if necessary, open up the blog to interested people. The public meetings did not really allow necessary conversation to take place
What do you think?