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170 [S3E17]: The Future of Kirkwood with ESD Director Jane Kupersmith
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Our topic today is Kirkwood Avenue, specifically the five blocks of East Kirkwood between the Courthouse Square and the Sample Gates, which many people consider to be the heart of Bloomington.
Since 2020, the city has closed public rights-of-way to benefit local restaurants. Some establishments, mostly around the Square, have rented adjacent metered parking spaces as outdoor dining space. On Kirkwood, the city closed whole blocks to allow restaurants to host diners while social distancing. It also made those blocks de facto pedestrian streets. The idea proved so popular that it has continued each year since. Last month, the city council approved an ordinance permanently delegating the decision to close any and all of the five blocks of East Kirkwood as the administration sees fit, at least between the months of April and November.
Jane Kupersmith was last on almost a year ago to talk about the city department she leads, Economic and Sustainable Development. We invited her back to discuss the prospects of a seasonal pedestrian mall, and what ideas they're hoping to explore in addition to the now-usual outdoor dining and low-speed thoroughfare -- festivals, pushcarts, food trucks, and other new kinds of programs.
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