Over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed that more and more major city events in Northampton are occurring in the Armory Street parking lot. Taste of Northampton, the First Night fireworks show, Northampton Pride, craft fairs, and more have been relegated to a location that is more out of the way of downtown traffic — the very same traffic that seems to occupy the minds of many Northampton residents with regards to the upcoming (and recently delayed) Picture Main Street. This avoidance of disrupting the flow of motor vehicles is a recurring point of conversation in our community, and it seemed prudent to me to add my two cents to this matter before anybody finds a way to get the Hot Chocolate Run off Main Street, too.
As a year-round resident of Northampton who commutes out of town for work every day, I find it perplexing that many community members are so resistant to the occasional closure of the portions of Main Street that lie between Pleasant and New South Street. When I think of Northampton and why it is wonderful, the first thing that comes to my mind is walkability. A city that is walkable is successful, and on the tremendous occasions where portions of Main Street are closed, Northampton is at its most vibrant. People come from all over town and all across New England to be with us in our community on those special days. Visitors and residents feel and revel in the freedom of walking in the middle of our rainbow-clad roads, even if they don’t articulate or notice it for themselves. I, however, have a reputation for articulating these feelings, as I love when I get to navigate our streets without fear of being flattened by a Subaru with an Empire State license plate. If it were up to me, I would have that portion of downtown converted to a year-round pedestrian-only walkway where people could enjoy outdoor dining in the snow, if they so desired. Pedestrian-only zones of cities across the world are often the most populated and visited areas for tourists (e.g. Times Square in New York City, Sainte-Catherine Street East in Montreal, Laugavegur in Reykjavik, Kalverstraat in Amsterdam, etc.), so I struggle to imagine why it would not be a net positive for our community, but let’s continue to address closing those areas for just a few days a year.
Northampton is a place defined by its community engagement. We are known for our Pride, our shopping options, our restaurant variety, and our forward-facing social beliefs. This is a city where people are encouraged to be who they are as loudly as they want, and celebrating all of these qualities with our litany of festivals in a parking lot behind Thornes is just underwhelming, and seeing hundreds of people stuck at a crosswalk waiting for the walk signal after they’ve left that parking lot in search of Northampton Main Street feels preposterous on every occasion.
Regrettably, the people I hear the most from on this issue are those who are opinionated in the other direction, those whose priorities allow convenient and direct traffic flow to triumph over the joy of a community sharing space together. These same priorities have allowed 57 parking spaces to take precedent over the safety and long-term growth of the city, and if left unchecked, would result in a regressive form of governance. I say this because I believe that Northampton is a place that can grow and change into something still greater than itself, not because I want to demonize those that disagree with me. Though, if you do disagree with me I would ask you to answer a simple question:
What is a Main Street for?
Is it for people to be with one another? Or is it a place to pass each other by?
Menachem Echols lives in Northampton.