I've been thinking how those rascals involved with planning and implementing the Downtown District are not taking the Santa Cruz River into proper consideration. (As if I don't have enough other things to think about!). They cite the aspiration to "cultural preservation" and in a way the Santa Cruz is the oldest, largest, and most obvious reference point for "culture." It is the very reason in fact that people gathered in this location. Water. Therefore, I think it deserves more attention in the planning process as one of those "cultural" factors. In fact as THE cultural factor.
What has this to do with theatre? I'll get to that. I hope.
Restoration of the river would be complicated perhaps in terms of cooperation among groups and individuals. But it is as doable, if not more so, than many of the projects on the "to do" and "wished for" lists. I'm not the only, first, nor will I be the last, to propose this. The discussion has existed many times before - kind of. (Has it reached a Theatre Blog before? Probably not).
For those of you unfamiliar with our city, the Santa Cruz River flows South to North, out of Mexico and up to the Salt River near Phoenix. The Salt flows west to the Colorado, which flows then back South to the Gulf of Baja, Mexico. "Flows" in this case means during the rainy months.
The Santa Cruz passes just along the edge of the Tucson Mountain range, a rugged little group of peaks that sits just west of our Downtown area, literally a mile or two away from some points. Our downtown sits just east of the river itself and the city spreads out East, North and South from there in a large valley surrounded by other mountain ranges. One of the points I made, what I tried to articulate briefly at that planning meeting as a "strength" for our downtown area, was its proximity to this large "natural" area, the Tucson Mountain Park. Its unusual for a city this size to have such a feature unless it is next to a lake or large river or ocean.
We have depleted our water table in this region to the point where the Santa Cruz is dry almost year around. The exception is this time of year, rainy months. At one time though, early last century when the city began to grow, there were beaver on the river in this area and a ferry boat was in service to transport people across. Hard to believe nowadays. Imagining the river "restored" in this area and other points along its course, leads to all sorts of possibilities. My personal favorite at the moment is the possibility of birdwatching. Yes I said it! Birdwatching - not as in "chicks," though that is always an option too, but as in real flying birds with feathers. I'm no expert, but we all know birdwatching is a million dollar industry in southern and particularly southeastern Arizona which is a world class destination. And if the Santa Cruz were "restored" more migratory birds along with our local year around varieties would be inhabit its shores. The downtown area along the Santa Cruz could, would, become one of the hotspots for this activity - birdwatching!
Sounds a little silly or trite in and of itself, but you have to put it in context of a larger vision. It would be a whole ecological experience we are talking about. Come the river, come many things.
Besides the birds, Research and Education would, could be at the forefront. Those planners did say they wanted "Education" downtown. Of course they were talking about some classroom buildings and Pima Community College and other institutions holding forth there. Thats ok, but the "outdoors" along the river would, could become classroom as well. Link the River and Downtown to the Tucson Mountain Park expanse, and possibilities increase all around. The idea of real nature, as opposed to isolated funky "urban nature" spots, as an intergal concept and idea for development downtown starts to become attractive. Wouldn't it be amazing if our Downtown was permeable instead of asphalt and solid concretes?
We, Tucson, can never, ever, ever, in a hundred million years, build a downtown area with concrete and block and steel and asphalt that is even remotely close to all those city centers we constantly mention as examples or "goals" to be like. We can't do it! We never will! We will always be light years behind in that race - and industry, business, conventions, etc will be as scarce as they are now. But we could however get out of that particular race and get into our own completely different one. The changes would be sublte and simple really - but profound!
Imagine Nature, Art and Education as the leading principles. (Don't worry, I'm not forgetting the brewerys and go-go clubs!).
"If you have a garden and a library you have everything." -Cicero
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." -Theodore Roosevelt
And letting everything else come in light of those principles, other business, civic activity, etc. the eco-community of downtown would begin to shape up.
Theatre then, under these circumstances, is the obvious and best connecting tissue - or to follow the ecological viewpoint more accurately, is a "keystone species' - one that gives and provides for a multitude of others. Theatre has the ability to incorporate the seemingly disparate elements in its fold and present them together in such a way so as to make collective sense and meaning.
What has this to do with theatre? I'll get to that. I hope.
Restoration of the river would be complicated perhaps in terms of cooperation among groups and individuals. But it is as doable, if not more so, than many of the projects on the "to do" and "wished for" lists. I'm not the only, first, nor will I be the last, to propose this. The discussion has existed many times before - kind of. (Has it reached a Theatre Blog before? Probably not).
For those of you unfamiliar with our city, the Santa Cruz River flows South to North, out of Mexico and up to the Salt River near Phoenix. The Salt flows west to the Colorado, which flows then back South to the Gulf of Baja, Mexico. "Flows" in this case means during the rainy months.
The Santa Cruz passes just along the edge of the Tucson Mountain range, a rugged little group of peaks that sits just west of our Downtown area, literally a mile or two away from some points. Our downtown sits just east of the river itself and the city spreads out East, North and South from there in a large valley surrounded by other mountain ranges. One of the points I made, what I tried to articulate briefly at that planning meeting as a "strength" for our downtown area, was its proximity to this large "natural" area, the Tucson Mountain Park. Its unusual for a city this size to have such a feature unless it is next to a lake or large river or ocean.
We have depleted our water table in this region to the point where the Santa Cruz is dry almost year around. The exception is this time of year, rainy months. At one time though, early last century when the city began to grow, there were beaver on the river in this area and a ferry boat was in service to transport people across. Hard to believe nowadays. Imagining the river "restored" in this area and other points along its course, leads to all sorts of possibilities. My personal favorite at the moment is the possibility of birdwatching. Yes I said it! Birdwatching - not as in "chicks," though that is always an option too, but as in real flying birds with feathers. I'm no expert, but we all know birdwatching is a million dollar industry in southern and particularly southeastern Arizona which is a world class destination. And if the Santa Cruz were "restored" more migratory birds along with our local year around varieties would be inhabit its shores. The downtown area along the Santa Cruz could, would, become one of the hotspots for this activity - birdwatching!
Sounds a little silly or trite in and of itself, but you have to put it in context of a larger vision. It would be a whole ecological experience we are talking about. Come the river, come many things.
Besides the birds, Research and Education would, could be at the forefront. Those planners did say they wanted "Education" downtown. Of course they were talking about some classroom buildings and Pima Community College and other institutions holding forth there. Thats ok, but the "outdoors" along the river would, could become classroom as well. Link the River and Downtown to the Tucson Mountain Park expanse, and possibilities increase all around. The idea of real nature, as opposed to isolated funky "urban nature" spots, as an intergal concept and idea for development downtown starts to become attractive. Wouldn't it be amazing if our Downtown was permeable instead of asphalt and solid concretes?
We, Tucson, can never, ever, ever, in a hundred million years, build a downtown area with concrete and block and steel and asphalt that is even remotely close to all those city centers we constantly mention as examples or "goals" to be like. We can't do it! We never will! We will always be light years behind in that race - and industry, business, conventions, etc will be as scarce as they are now. But we could however get out of that particular race and get into our own completely different one. The changes would be sublte and simple really - but profound!
Imagine Nature, Art and Education as the leading principles. (Don't worry, I'm not forgetting the brewerys and go-go clubs!).
"If you have a garden and a library you have everything." -Cicero
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." -Theodore Roosevelt
And letting everything else come in light of those principles, other business, civic activity, etc. the eco-community of downtown would begin to shape up.
Theatre then, under these circumstances, is the obvious and best connecting tissue - or to follow the ecological viewpoint more accurately, is a "keystone species' - one that gives and provides for a multitude of others. Theatre has the ability to incorporate the seemingly disparate elements in its fold and present them together in such a way so as to make collective sense and meaning.
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