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Norquist's Legacy

Posted by: Tim Halbur

6 October 2009 - 9:00am

John Norquist is today the president of CNU, but from 1988-94 he was Mayor of Milwaukee. His legacy is apparent today in the city, says blogger Urban Engagement.

"Norquist, now president of the Congress of New Urbanism, is best known for instituting progressive zoning changes that boosted downtown housing. This initiative led to a major downtown population spike (from 700 to over 15,000 residents today), which in turn spurred vitality. Norquist was also instrumental in dismantling a major barrier to downtown Milwaukee's future fortunes; namely, a mile-long stretch of elevated freeway that traversed through downtown — making the city the first in the nation to remove a freeway in its central-core and opening up a wide swath of land for redevelopment opportunities."

The rest of the article documents Milwaukee's downtown revitalization, focusing on its riverfront location.

Full Story: The New Face of Downtown Milwaukee
Source: Urban Engagement blog, October 5, 2009
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Instead of demeaning so-called "third world cities", we would do well to observe, understand, and adapt such approach on a much more widescale basis.
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