Respond loudly and quickly if you agree that the final concept design for EWEB’s Riverfront Park is ugly and unnatural.
No offense to anyone involved, especially the designers who were given input to work from; as an artist, I sometimes try to put together ideas that were being expressed and have to scrap the results and start over. That’s what I see when I look at the pictures of the future park.
“Fundamentally urban” is an appropriate description and fundamentally urban is not fundamentally pretty. “Connecting the city with the river” is an action done by individuals who want to be connected to the river — in and with its beauty — who have legal access. What I see detracts greatly from the setting.
If a river were merely the water, then yes, you might say the plan succeeds in the aforementioned goal. But a river is the water and the environment it nurtures, supports and needs to thrive.
Our human nature sees that as alive and beautiful.
I have been to Chicago, and there you see the absolute worst case of connecting a city to a river. Perhaps instead the goal really is to have the river be as disconnected as possible from the city, and instead put in place safeguards for a healthy level of access to the river for perpetuity, with some lovely modest spaces for comfort or viewing.
I hope, folks of Eugene, you make your interests known if you agree.
Kevin Jones
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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