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<br />42 Planning June 2005 <br /> <br />PLANNING PRACliqC.LE <br /> <br />. <br /> <br /> <br />c <br />} <br />'" <br />1 <br />'" <br /> <br />. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />c <br />~ <br />"' <br />." <br />o <br />'" <br /> <br />ants and organizations are now available to <br />assist in project planning and management. <br />. Second, true mixed-use developments re- <br />quire public (including transportation) and <br />institutional involvement. In the past, how- <br />ever, there were numerous legal and financial <br />b;l.friers to cooperation between government <br /> <br />and private entities. Recent changes in local <br />and state laws now make it more feasible to <br />accommodate multiple and mixed uses. <br />Public acceptance is also higher. Enough <br />good projects have been built in recent years <br />to make it easier to gain acceptance and sup- <br />port for mixed-use developments and the higher <br /> <br />densities they typically imply. <br />Finally, there has been pressure on land costs. <br />In the past, with abundant land and low land <br />costs, communities and developers faced little <br />pressure to cooperate. This is no longer the case, <br />which means that developers are looking for <br />partners to help save money or share costs. <br /> <br />What to do now? <br />Today, there are many more relatively small, <br />self-contained, mixed-use projects, usually with <br />a single developer. And many existing cores <br />are benefitting from efforts to nourish the <br />depth and variety of their activity. <br />Meriter Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, <br />has added a retirement center to its down- <br />town location, enriching the city's center. <br />In Glendale, Arizona, the new Cardinals <br />Stadium and the adjacent, 223-acre master <br />planned development have the potential of <br />becoming a whole new downtown competi- <br />tive with Phoenix and Scottsdale. <br />Further, old military bases are being con- <br />verted to urban villages. (See "Extreine <br />Makeovers," April 2005.) However, their re- <br />building needs to follow sound core prin- <br />ciples more closely. <br />In all these cases, there has been a deliberate <br />attempt to make the cores more mixed-use- <br />and to include housing. This is an important <br />first step. <br /> <br />Who's impnning eenters and ('ores <br />Dozens of older centers in Chicago and its <br />su,burbs are adding hundreds of housing units <br />along with theaters, restaurants, health clubs, <br />book stores, and coffee shops to create a much <br />stronger draw for shopping and work. In Chi- <br />cago, anchors such as the University of Illinois <br />and the West Side Medical Center have joined <br />developers to create neighborhoods with a healthy <br />mix of activities and cores. <br />Arlington Heights is a commuter rail suburb <br />northwest of Chicago whose dominant feature <br />is a race track located about a mile from its <br />downtown. In 1987, the community began a <br />systematic retrofit of its 16-block, 46-acre down- <br />town. Since then, the number of downtown <br />housing units has grown from 150 to 1,230 <br />and the downtown population from 350 to <br />2,200. By 200 1, downtown's assessed value had <br />jumped from $10.7 million to $43.7 million. <br />Downtown Arlington Heights now includes <br />a new performing arts center, offices, retail, <br />and. a commuter station. Dedicated leader- <br />ship, clear goals, and an experienced and dedi- <br />cated staff-plus a building boom-have com- <br />bined to make the project a success. <br />Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix takes up <br />