Blast from the past — 6 great ideas for Milwaukee — from 11 years ago — that still need to happen today
Wow.
Someone brought up this story I did in 2013 this week. It’s — if I do say so myself — still full of many ideas that need to happen in my city of Milwaukee.
Read it here or below, and share it as you will. And, if you’re not from Milwaukee — come up with a similar list for your city. Your ideas may not happen overnight. But, by putting them out there — many will move forward. I’m still working on these and more … it’s a process and a marathon, not a sprint.
Note, the Larry Sanders idea is dated — yet, kinda killer. :)
Let’s go with Giannis on The Wisconsin Tower. MVP.
Onward.
Six more ideas to help move Milwaukee forward
By Jeff Sherman
You’ve probably seen this blog before. Well, not this exact blog but ones like it. That’s OK. Ideas seem to flow freely, keep me up at night and when they are shared they can take on a new life.
So, here you go. Here are six more ideas for a better, and hopefully more innovative and creative Milwaukee.
Close Maryland Avenue through the UWM campus
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is landlocked for expansion, so why not create more land? Close Maryland Avenue between Kenwood and Hartford or even Newport. Grass it over and create more of a campus feel. Don’t worry, cars will find a way to drive around the area and still get where they need to.
Lure an auto dealership to Downtown Milwaukee.
I’d love to see an auto dealer or auto brand lease space for a boutique dealership Downtown. It would be a fun, unique way to showcase new vehicles and fill a vacant storefront.
Make Water Street pedestrian-only and create a true entertainment district
This may sound a bit similar to my UWM idea, but this one’s more about safety than function. Water Street’s busy, and while it does get closed off around bar time making the area pedestrian-only all day could have many benefits. Downtowns are made for walking and entertainment districts thrive on density. Sure, it’s not Beale Street but taking the cars off Water Street could help the bar and restaurant strip truly become an entertainment destination. So, let’s consider closing Water Street between Knapp and Juneau or maybe even to Highland Avenue.
Put a huge out-of-home sign on The Wisconsin Tower
A huge billboard would look very nice on the west side of The Wisconsin Tower, the 22-story, 280-foot-tall art deco building at 606 W. Wisconsin Ave. How about a bottle of Miller Lite or a poster-like image of Larry Sanders of the Milwaukee Bucks? Do it.
Build a food forest in the city
Vacant land? Grow it. Let’s truly be an urban food innovator and grow a food forest, a plot of land planted with various edibles. Apples, pears, berries and herbs. If we are truly refreshing Milwaukee, let’s grow food and make it available for public picking.
Park Free day
I’ve told the mayor this one. Let’s have a “Parking Amnesty Day” in Milwaukee. No tickets, and free meters for everyone. Maybe the day after Thanksgiving. Give cars “tickets” that instead say, “Thank you for parking in Milwaukee, enjoy your day.”
