The Core of Memphis 3.0

Looking for accessibility in the Memphis community

By Tim Wheat
This morning Sandi and I took the Memphis 3.0 tour of the section of Memphis they call “the core.” Memphis 3.0 has begun district planning on January 25, 2018 at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church to update the community on what they had learned about the character of the district. The held a mapping exercise to identify good places, areas of concern and places of opportunity.

The bus tour today was intended to follow the mapping of the planning meeting. The concept of using the bus was to actually see some of the assets and opportunities that participants had noted in the mapping exercise. Memphis 3.0 had developed a guide book for the core district with general planning information for the area. The route through the core focused on the medical district and asked us to note where new anchors may be located.

The idea of an anchor is a central part of a community that helps to develop and connect the area. The guide book also asked participants to note parks and public space, pedestrian facilities, site frontages, parking, building intensity and bicycle networks. While all these were present along the route, the missing category was also evident: accessibility.

As the bus turned from Poplar, Sandi pointed out that the bus stop and shelter on the southwest side was impassable for a wheelchair. That was clearly not the only location, but it was clear that the Memphis 3.0 planning was not prioritizing inclusion of our community.

The tour started out on Madison where we could all see the useless trolley tracks just out the front window. The obvious failure of our current administration did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of our Memphis 3.0 guides to how we were all hoping for a beautiful and working city. Despite the obvious negligence right in front of us, we continued the tour with our totally abstract ideas of solutions and improvements.

Along the route we saw broken, blocked and impassible sidewalks. We saw inaccessible businesses and Sandi pointed out inaccessible housing and town homes that did not have a requirement to be accessible. We looked out over jam-packed parking lots right next to nearly empty lots. It seemed to show the worst of a transportation system that was not working and the pressure from drivers to take up all available space.

Roger Ekstrom, our tour guide pointed out “lots of pedestrians,” at Pauline and Union. I counted three. But for memphis, three is a lot. Two of the pedestrians, one using a wheelchair, crossed Pauline, but they did not use the crosswalk. I thought it was interesting that with a crosswalk right at the corner, the pedestrians did not use it and crossed about 25 feet from the corner. The irony is that the guy using the wheelchair had to cut back north up the turn lane because there is no curb ramp onto the sidewalk for a long block in front of the Walgreens. He had to get back to the crosswalk along Union Ave. so he could use the curb-ramp.

If you wish to be part of the planning for the future of Memphis. You can find our more at: http://www.memphis3point0.com or call MCIL and we will help you get involved.