Smart Growth Principle 5
Photo by Maggie Friend
By Paul Coogan and Caroline McKeown
How do you know you are in Normal Heights? Is it driving under our historic neon street sign? Or perhaps it is the sight of the Normal Heights United Church steeple or the gargoyles watching over Lestat’s Coffeehouse. The murals? The laughter at Mariposa Ice Cream? It is all of these things and more.
Normal Heights is known for being a unique, if not quirky, place that reflects culture and heritage with a hip blend of old and new. We are fortunate to have a tree-lined boulevard with historic buildings containing shops and cafes that make our neighborhood a place where people want to be.
Smart Growth Tenet 5: Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place that reflect the values, culture and vision of residents through the growth and history of their community.
Smart Growth principles guide our approach to development, emphasizing the importance of preserving our heritage while embracing innovation. Each new addition to our neighborhood must add the character and culture of the community. It’s about more than just preserving history; it’s about nurturing our collective identity, much like caring for our own personal spaces. Communities that are effective in implementing the idea of cultural identity create a harmonious blend of past, present and future that creates a vibrancy that brings both economic and spiritual vitality.
Photo by Maggie Friend
To uphold our sense of place, it is important to enact policies and codes for new development and redevelopment projects that support Smart Growth by acknowledging the significance of our canyon open spaces, historic structures, public art, and community events like the Adams Avenue Street Fair music festival. By understanding and valuing our assets, we can shape a future that simultaneously honors the heritage of our village while embracing the future.