http://www.niutoday.info/2015/07/07/city...g-process/

An opportunity if you live in the area and want to give some input.

Someone ask about extending the metra back to Dekalb

Whatever happened to the road diet/sidewalk widening/building update plan that was drawn up by the same planners that did Naperville and the River Walk? I thought that WAS the plan.

(07-08-2015 10:58 AM)Stay Cool Wrote:  Someone ask about extending the metra back to Dekalb

Probably really unlikely. The cost is huge. Plus, a train ride from DeKalb to Elburn is twenty to thirty minutes alone. It just doesn't work well.

While growing up in DeKalb, attending NIU, then coincidentally living in two other college towns...I can attest that DeKalb's biggest issue remains it's disconnect with the community's economic engine (the NIU students and alums). The two other places I've lived (Ames, IA, and currently Fayetteville, AR) do things much better, and as a result have had their communities thrive rather than decline.

Tough liquor licenses, codes that actually require piss poor suburban-style development, and the unwritten thought of the university being a "necessary evil" are the main things that hold the community and university back from reaching their full potential. All of the above discourages young people's interest in the community, and makes for a very unhealthy town/gown relationship.

Here's hoping some good stuff gets inputted from the university end of things; seeing as I no longer live there, I guess it isn't prudent for me to comment directly.

(07-08-2015 12:57 PM)Michael the Narwhal Wrote:  While growing up in DeKalb, attending NIU, then coincidentally living in two other college towns...I can attest that DeKalb's biggest issue remains it's disconnect with the community's economic engine (the NIU students and alums). The two other places I've lived (Ames, IA, and currently Fayetteville, AR) do things much better, and as a result have had their communities thrive rather than decline.

Tough liquor licenses, codes that actually require piss poor suburban-style development, and the unwritten thought of the university being a "necessary evil" are the main things that hold the community and university back from reaching their full potential. All of the above discourages young people's interest in the community, and makes for a very unhealthy town/gown relationship.

Here's hoping some good stuff gets inputted from the university end of things; seeing as I no longer live there, I guess it isn't prudent for me to comment directly.

DING DING DING DING! I have never understood, how this mentality came to be from townies.

(07-08-2015 01:01 PM)HuskieAlumnus03 Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 12:57 PM)Michael the Narwhal Wrote:  While growing up in DeKalb, attending NIU, then coincidentally living in two other college towns...I can attest that DeKalb's biggest issue remains it's disconnect with the community's economic engine (the NIU students and alums). The two other places I've lived (Ames, IA, and currently Fayetteville, AR) do things much better, and as a result have had their communities thrive rather than decline.

Tough liquor licenses, codes that actually require piss poor suburban-style development, and the unwritten thought of the university being a "necessary evil" are the main things that hold the community and university back from reaching their full potential. All of the above discourages young people's interest in the community, and makes for a very unhealthy town/gown relationship.

Here's hoping some good stuff gets inputted from the university end of things; seeing as I no longer live there, I guess it isn't prudent for me to comment directly.

DING DING DING DING! I have never understood, how this mentality came to be from townies.

I wonder if they don't like the noise from students late night, or kids peeing in their yards, that kind of thing. Just a guess. Some of them are probably "get off my lawn" types.

Look at Bloomington Normal. They have used the university as a way to combat the last recession. I'm not how that can help in the long run, but it definitely made a difference during a downtrodden past few years.

(07-08-2015 12:57 PM)Michael the Narwhal Wrote:  While growing up in DeKalb, attending NIU, then coincidentally living in two other college towns...I can attest that DeKalb's biggest issue remains it's disconnect with the community's economic engine (the NIU students and alums). The two other places I've lived (Ames, IA, and currently Fayetteville, AR) do things much better, and as a result have had their communities thrive rather than decline.

Tough liquor licenses, codes that actually require piss poor suburban-style development, and the unwritten thought of the university being a "necessary evil" are the main things that hold the community and university back from reaching their full potential. All of the above discourages young people's interest in the community, and makes for a very unhealthy town/gown relationship.

Here's hoping some good stuff gets inputted from the university end of things; seeing as I no longer live there, I guess it isn't prudent for me to comment directly.

This is a change that has occurred at Kent recently. Until just a few years ago the university and the community did not get along well with each other. Now the city has exploded in terms of adding new things to downtown. It is a huge difference. In addition the university is now building towards the town and trying to to make the area into a more cohesive whole.

Since NIU and Kent are similar institutionally hopefully NIU could do something similar.

(07-09-2015 12:26 AM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 12:57 PM)Michael the Narwhal Wrote:  While growing up in DeKalb, attending NIU, then coincidentally living in two other college towns...I can attest that DeKalb's biggest issue remains it's disconnect with the community's economic engine (the NIU students and alums). The two other places I've lived (Ames, IA, and currently Fayetteville, AR) do things much better, and as a result have had their communities thrive rather than decline.

Tough liquor licenses, codes that actually require piss poor suburban-style development, and the unwritten thought of the university being a "necessary evil" are the main things that hold the community and university back from reaching their full potential. All of the above discourages young people's interest in the community, and makes for a very unhealthy town/gown relationship.

Here's hoping some good stuff gets inputted from the university end of things; seeing as I no longer live there, I guess it isn't prudent for me to comment directly.

This is a change that has occurred at Kent recently. Until just a few years ago the university and the community did not get along well with each other. Now the city has exploded in terms of adding new things to downtown. It is a huge difference. In addition the university is now building towards the town and trying to to make the area into a more cohesive whole.

Since NIU and Kent are similar institutionally hopefully NIU could do something similar.

That's the idea, and Kent is a wonderful example of how they could implement it and the positive effects that could come from it

Need to watch the past to know about the future (and the present state of affairs we are in).
DeKalb 1967 Industrial Film from Prior Thread

(07-09-2015 12:34 AM)Stay Cool Wrote:  

(07-09-2015 12:26 AM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  

(07-08-2015 12:57 PM)Michael the Narwhal Wrote:  While growing up in DeKalb, attending NIU, then coincidentally living in two other college towns...I can attest that DeKalb's biggest issue remains it's disconnect with the community's economic engine (the NIU students and alums). The two other places I've lived (Ames, IA, and currently Fayetteville, AR) do things much better, and as a result have had their communities thrive rather than decline.

Tough liquor licenses, codes that actually require piss poor suburban-style development, and the unwritten thought of the university being a "necessary evil" are the main things that hold the community and university back from reaching their full potential. All of the above discourages young people's interest in the community, and makes for a very unhealthy town/gown relationship.

Here's hoping some good stuff gets inputted from the university end of things; seeing as I no longer live there, I guess it isn't prudent for me to comment directly.

This is a change that has occurred at Kent recently. Until just a few years ago the university and the community did not get along well with each other. Now the city has exploded in terms of adding new things to downtown. It is a huge difference. In addition the university is now building towards the town and trying to to make the area into a more cohesive whole.

Since NIU and Kent are similar institutionally hopefully NIU could do something similar.

That's the idea, and Kent is a wonderful example of how they could implement it and the positive effects that could come from it

Glad you think so. I hope you and other NIU fans can come down and visit sometime we would love to have you.

(07-08-2015 12:57 PM)Michael the Narwhal Wrote:  While growing up in DeKalb, attending NIU, then coincidentally living in two other college towns...I can attest that DeKalb's biggest issue remains it's disconnect with the community's economic engine (the NIU students and alums). The two other places I've lived (Ames, IA, and currently Fayetteville, AR) do things much better, and as a result have had their communities thrive rather than decline.

Tough liquor licenses, codes that actually require piss poor suburban-style development, and the unwritten thought of the university being a "necessary evil" are the main things that hold the community and university back from reaching their full potential. All of the above discourages young people's interest in the community, and makes for a very unhealthy town/gown relationship.

Here's hoping some good stuff gets inputted from the university end of things; seeing as I no longer live there, I guess it isn't prudent for me to comment directly.

The DeKalb government has a disconnect with a lot more than just NIU. But being a "Townie" myself, I have witnessed the negative side of the University, the local leaders and the state have brought. Adding a large amount of low income housing for a kickback was one of the worse decisions made in recent years. Couple that with university drop outs with extended family members that remain in the area on government assistance has raised the level of crime to a level that the police station needed to be moved closer to campus and the low income housing. A lot of population that the university brings reside off-campus. UP does support the off-campus housing, leaving all these issues to the local support structures.

In the area of Liquor license and codes being too tight? I'm not sure where you're going with this. Are you talking licenses available, codes for underage presence in establishments. What changes do you think would actually help the community vs raise risk.

Having the university in our town is definitely a plus for the community, but it does bring it's difficulties that students passing through don't always see.