SMART
GROWTH - Area Tour
"I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace
and beauty, which will protect the beauty of our natural environment,
which will preserve the great old American houses and squares
and parks of our national past and which will build handsome
and balanced cities for our future."
President John F. Kennedy
[Last major public address, at Amherst College, October 26, 1963]
Town park fees, Aurora Foundation contributions, County funds, and a State grant
enabled a rundown old wayside near Plymouth to be reborn as a beautifully landscaped
trailhead for the Old Plank Road Trail.
"BEFORE and AFTER" Outskirts of Plymouth near STH
57 & CTH
C
 Developers can make tremendous contributions to open spaces
when encouraged or required to do so. The Osthoff Resort constructed
this stunning walkway in exchange for a street reconfiguration.
Walkway leading down to shore of Elkhart Lake
 In the past, rivers flowing through cities were used mostly
for transportation and waste disposal. Today, many are being
restored to their rightful place as natural amenities that add
beauty, wildlife habitat, and charm to an urban area.
Riverwalk in West Bend
 Parks are most effective when they offer a variety of recreational
opportunities for all generations and seasons. This one offers
basketball, tennis, disc golf, picnicking, hiking, sledding,
and a children's play area.
Vollrath Park in Sheboygan
 With retail centers moving to malls and urban fringes, planners
are finding that a "professional" mix including offices,
museums, libraries, specialty shops, restaurants, etc. can keep
a downtown attractive and healthy.
John Michael Kohler Art Center in downtown Sheboygan
" Once decrepit commercial buildings, many of them vacant
for years or used for storage, have been meticulously brought
back to life. Almost forty facades have been restored and nearly
fifty buildings rehabilitated through private and public investment."
Part of the restored downtown in Sheboygan Falls
Community governments can set the example for incoming developers
by the way in which municipal buildings are designed and constructed.
 Apartment complexes are seldom welcome in residential areas,
but with a little effort almost any development can lend pleasing
and attractive open spaces to a neighborhood.
Placing a paved trail in proximity to a natural amenity such
as a lake, river or pond is an excellent way to maximize the
appeal of a built-in attraction.
Sprinkled throughout a city, "vest pocket" parks,
though small, often make as much of a positive impact as a single,
large park, especially in areas where significant numbers of
older residents live.
 With proper encouragement and/or incentives, trees and shrubs,
rather than garage doors and driveways, can be the focal point
of residential streets.
This waterfall was once obscured by old industrial buildings
and a steep, wooded bank. Now the buildings have been removed
and a well-built, elevated walkway has been constructed through
the woods to provide scenic overlooks.
View from Jaycee River Walk in Sheboygan Falls
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