In today’s Ideas & Voices, hear from three local contributors discuss what the future of US 35 should look like.
We want to hear from readers, too. How do you feel about proposed changes to US 35? Send us your thoughts by emailing edletter@coxinc.com.
Revive35 project a ‘vision for the future of our city’
“My hope for the Revive35 project is that it will serve as a catalyst for a reinvention of Dayton’s urban landscape — one that integrates transportation with sustainable development and community well-being. As it stands, US 35 is a heavily trafficked highway that runs through Dayton, but it often feels like it isolates certain neighborhoods rather than connecting them. Through this project, I envision a transformed corridor where green spaces, mixed-use developments, and pedestrian-friendly zones are prioritized.”
- Read more from David Escobar, City Engineer for the City of Dayton.
US 35 study provides opportunity to heal ‘physical and emotional scar’
“As a cultural geographer, I know the physical and psychological impact of boundaries like rivers, bridges, railroad tracks and highways. I hear the angst in the voices of community elders mourning the disruption of their young lives and living long enough to see the devastating impact. Some say the orientation of the new West Library is an indication of the same kind of thinking because the building faces the highway, not residential 3rd Street; and, its orientation does not support pedestrian traffic, nor inspires walkable access to a public facility funded by citizen tax dollars.”
- Read more from Omope Carter Daboiku (Mama O), an Ohio Arts Council master teaching artist.
Tackling the 800-lane gorilla in the room: Dayton should remove US 35
“US 35, the nine lane expanse of concrete nothingness, separates and pollutes our neighborhoods and disrupts the urban fabric of the city. It creates problems like this by its very existence: the idea of having a high-speed, limited access road cut through a dense, gridded city. It creates parts of the city we can’t access, behind tall walls and unmaintained overpasses, and for what? A few minutes saved when trying to drive somewhere? How many Daytonians could we house or employ if that land were better used?”
- Read more from Matt Sauer, an architect specializing in adaptive reuse.