Lighting The Elmwood Village For Good
Now that the Elmwood Village has landed the distinction of being one of the Top 10 Great Places in America, I can't wait for the day when the city switches up the street's lamp standards. If you look at historic Allentown, you will see that the street lighting is attractive and effective. It places the importance of the neighborhood experience on the sidewalk, rather than on the cars. As we see the highway cobras being replaced (finally) in our neighborhoods, our commercial districts are in need of the same treatment.
Below you can see what direction one designer is heading when it comes to rethinking utilitarian street lamps. In this day and age, why do all street lamps have to conform to a certain look? If it behaves like a street lamp, then artistic and environmental elements should at least be considered when the selection progress begins. Maybe artistic lamps could even fit in and along the Museum District... they are certainly thought provoking. The one featured below even offers outlets for passersby who are searching for a place to recharge laptops and/or phones. A variation comes with benches built in at the base...
The Solar Tree (designed by Ross Lovegrove) seen here is not cheap, but being solar powered, it would save The City money in the long run. There might even be monetary assistance available to offset the initial cost since it's eco-friendly. Regardless, these lamps would certainly add some spice to the Elmwood Village. And for those people not willing to take the artist the artistic plunge, how 'bout a gull wing street lamp? Anything is better than the existing highway cobras.
What Others Have To Say
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Comment Options
Kimon
I like the idea of stylizes lampposts, but I don't really think the examples shown here quite make sense in the Elmwood Village.
Actually, that solar tree thing might work in front of some of the boutiques... hmm.
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Buffalo21stcentury
I hate the idea of stylized lamp posts.
What the heck is wrong with our our nation when we are the financial disaster capital of the world, we are the debtors to the world and we dont have the capabilities to manufacture anything competitively anymore.
We are creating a society of singers, actors and designers....everything has to be artistically designed. Please!
Given a choice between extending light rail and an artistic street lamp....give me the light rail! Given a choice between a new convention/conference center and an artistic street lamp...give me the center! Given a choice between lift bridges to the outer harbor and an artistic street lamp...give me lift bridges Given a choice between small business incubators at local colleges...and artistic street lamps...give me the former
Can we please just put in some beautiful period lighting and put our energies into something that contributes to our local economy!
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jamesbflo
one could easily argue that 'period' standards are also stylized. You're comparing things that arent even in the same league... I doubt any dream of yours would be put in jeopardy because the city installed new lamp posts. You're not seeing the whole picture by ignoring the little things. What good is a shiny new convention center if the streets around it are run down and uninviting?
I really like the solar tree, very cosmopolitan. The ppl of Buffalo wouldnt stand for something quite as drastic tho, unfortunately.
There's a neighborhood in Depew (around some park east of George Urban and Union) that has solar lights. I thought they were pretty cool and spoke with one of the neighbors about them and she said they were awful and rarely worked. Don't know when they were installed, maybe the technology is better now. Anyways, solar would be the way to go assuming this Green fad isnt dying down with the drop in gas prices.
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distas
showcase Elmwood by using traditional Allentown or Delaware park style historic lighting, I assume these styles are unique to Buffalo. Even if there not inique, there part of our history which is what we should be showing off.
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Buffalo21stcentury
jamesbflo, actually a mini-windturbine would provide more energy than solar...buffalo is much more windy than it is sunny....but personally Id rather have the trees than the solar or wind based lighting.
Buffalo really very little new construction....it is still very much a provincial turn of the century city....and period lighting just fits.....now if NEW BUFFALO gets built along the lake in the first ward or along the eastside then the predominant architecture might just be more contemporary/modern...but contemporary/modern isnt really even getting built in Amherst, Lancaster, Clarence, Hamburg, Orchard Park or East Aurora.
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sonyactivision
I like traditional lighting for residential streets but for commercial streets, go with some flair. How many shops along Elmwood look the way they did in 1920? I rest my case.
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gaustad
The entire street is pretty dark and not real safe at night with all the panhandlers.
I was at a friends house last night around 10:00pm helping her unload groceries and a very large black man came walking very briskly up the driveway off Elmwood into the back asking for money. I really thought he was going to pull out a gun and rob us.
I don't know what poll gave us the "prestigious" rank as one of the top ten neighborhoods in the country, but it sure doesn't feel like it is in the top ten.
Elmwood is beggin for my light, vibrancy, and security....especially during the winter months.
Go ahead hippis.........lets hear all the retarded responses!
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gaustad
typo - more light, vibrancy, and security
ok - hippis...now you can open the flood gates.
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Joshua
A new website that I tripped upon a couple of months back which gives an example of what type of lighting can be done throughout the city is: South Buffalo Blogger. This example show similar lighting as Allen St, in the picture, but with the newer, brighter and more "green" lights that were in installed on Johnson Pk. This type of lighting should be a design standard for main streets like Elmwood and Hertel.
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DanielSack
Better lighting would be welcome. But the luminaires on Allen are have lousy photometrics and are architecturally inappropriate.
The illumination from the Allen Street lights is extremely uneven. Streaks of light rather than even light. Very obvious when there is snow on the ground.
The lights look like they belong in an old European city, not in Buffalo.
Good lighting is expensive. We prefer money be spent on high speed roads, not well illuminated sidewalks for pedestrians - can't they walk with flashlights? Cars come with lights!
Good sidewalk illumination requires lower wattage (
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gaustad
Elmwood should have heated sidewalks too!
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MikeS
I really want to see something like this happen. How can I help? Really, I've written forever elmwood and never heard back. I think some really just small town/village main street type lamps would look great. Think like Clarence center or village of OP. From Forrest Ave. to Allentown, these lights could make quite a statement and a unified look. THe current lights look like junk. Also, Forever Elmwood has tried to dress them up...but its like lipstick on a you know what.
Newell, how can I help make this happen. How much are light standards? 5K each.
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MikeS
I really want to see something like this happen. How can I help? Really, I've written forever elmwood and never heard back. I think some really just small town/village main street type lamps would look great. Think like Clarence center or village of OP. From Forrest Ave. to Allentown, these lights could make quite a statement and a unified look. THe current lights look like junk. Also, Forever Elmwood has tried to dress them up...but its like lipstick on a you know what.
Newell, how can I help make this happen? How much are light standards?
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