Ron Blatman talking to the Rotary Club of
Birmingham. (Nathan Watson/ Bham Now).
On Wednesday, October 11, the Rotary Club of
Birmingham was signed up with by a special visitor speaker-- Ron Blatman, Executive Producer/Producer of Saving the City: Remaking the American Metropolis. Ron Blatman speaking to the Rotary Club of
Birmingham.
Ron Blatman has a remarkable track resume when it comes to studying what makes cities work. Here are just a few highlights:.
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- A graduate of the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania and UC Berkley
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- Has operated in property advancement and financing in San Francisco and Wall Street
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- Previously worked as the Director of Business Development in the San Francisco mayor's office.
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In 2009, Blatman produced Saving the Bay: The Story of
San Francisco Bay-- a national primetime PBS television series told by Robert Redford. Over the series' 4 episodes, Blatman examined the origins of the
San Francisco Bay to today and highlighted three ladies who saved the Bay from becoming bit more than a river in the 1960s. The series won four regional Emmy awards and was evaluated for members of Congress at the United States Capitol.
Structure off the success of Saving the Bay, Ron Blatman has released a new project-- Saving the City: Remaking the American Metropolis.
" Saving the City is a documentary series with related instructional material highlighting not successful and effective examples of urban development throughout the US and Canada so that we can find out to develop much better locations.
With the pandemic, financial gyrations and continued issues about equity and environment modification, how do we make sure a much better future for our cities? Following years of decline, most city cores were celebrating practically 20 years of enhancement, an improvement now at risk. How did we get here and what follows?
After enjoying Saving the City, you will never ever look at cities the very same method again!".
A summary of the Saving the City documentary series from the Saving the City website.
Conserving the City: Remaking the American Metropolis will highlight the success of Railroad Park in
Birmingham. (Nathan Watson/ Bham Now).
Throughout his discussion to the Rotary Club of
Birmingham, Ron Blatman revealed a small sneak peek for Episode 4 of Saving the City, entitled "Parks and Recreation." In this episode-- which takes a look at the current generation of downtown parks, pathways and public squares-- Saving the City research studies three brand-new green spaces: Scissortail Park in
Oklahoma City, Discovery Green in
Houston and
Birmingham's own Railroad Park.
The area on Railroad Park concentrates on the challenges dealt with by its creators, how the group conquered those obstacles and the impact of the Park on the City of
Birmingham.
" If the Railroad Park had actually not happened, I don't believe the baseball arena-- Regions Field-- would have occurred. Well, you desire to construct something where people desire to be.
Robert Simon, President and CEO of Corporate Realty, in an excerpt from an approaching episode of Saving the City: Remaking the American Metropolis.
A birds-eye view of Regions Field and Railroad Park. (Nathan Watson/ Bham Now).
While recording in
Birmingham, Ron Blatman talked to several experts-- consisting of locals-- for their insight into the effect of Railroad Park, consisting of:.
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- Tom Leader, Principal and Founder, TLS Landscape Architecture
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- Katherine Billmeier, Former Executive Director, Railroad Park Foundation
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- Deon Gordon, President of TechBirmingham
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- Cheryl Morgan, Emerita Professor of Architecture and former Director of Auburn University's Urban Studio in Birmingham
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- Renee Kemp Rotan, Urban Designer & & Activist, CEO Studio Rotan
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- Robert Simon, President and CEO, Corporate Realty
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Lessons Birmingham can learn from other cities
( Nathan Watson/ Bham Now).
During the presentation, Ron Blatman drew parallels between
Birmingham and other cities who endured a financial downtown in the later half of the 20th century, such as
Pittsburgh.
One does not have to reinvent the wheel. People know how to do real estate, parks, transport, public security and all those kinds of things.".
Ron Blatman, Executive Producer/Producer, Saving the City: Remaking the American Metropolis.
So, in addition to studying the successes of other cities, what can Birmingham do to continue its favorable trajectory?
I see a very strong belt from the Highlands down to the north side of town, so it's simply going to be a question of how well
Birmingham fills it in. Robert Simon made an actually intriguing comment about the ballpark in that they intentionally didn't develop a parking garage. They wanted people to park in the surrounding area to require individuals to walk to the arena.
Ron Blatman, Executive Producer/Producer, Saving the City: Remaking the American Metropolis.
Including Birmingham in future episodes of Saving the City
( Nathan Watson/ Bham Now).
In addition to Railroad Park, Ron Blatman is interested in including a number of elements of The Magic City in future episodes of Saving the City, consisting of:.
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- The change of Birmingham's biggest economic generator from the steel market to the medical market with the University of Alabama at Birmingham
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- The development and application of City Walk Bham
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- The ever-growing path system throughout Birmingham
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- The transformation of the Sloss Furnaces commercial site and its transformation into a park
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Support Ron Blatman and Saving our Cities: Remaking the American Metropolis
( Saving the City).
Currently, Ron and his group are seeking conclusion funding for the first 4 60-minute episodes of Saving the City: Remaking the American Metropolis. To date, they have shot three stories in Atlanta and
Birmingham and are planning shoots in the following cities:.
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You can support the development of Saving the City: Remaking the American Metropolis by contributing online.
Excited to see Birmingham and Railroad Park included in Saving the City? Tag us @bhamnow to let us understand your ideas!
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