Downtown Fort Myers

Reflection

Although I’ve been to downtown Fort Myers plenty of times in the past, my most recent trip there, for the colloquium field trip, was unlike any of my prior experiences in the area. Before the field trip I had only been downtown for two reasons: going out drinking, and visiting the courthouse (possibly as a result of occurrences that took place while on said drinking outings). With that being said, in the past I really hadn’t actually seen too much of what downtown fully had to offer, and I never really stopped and took the time to observe and analyze the purpose and design of the area in a deeper way; in that respect, this time was different. 

The first thing I noticed when I really started looking was the structure and layout of the area. It was immediately apparent that there was more than just the aesthetics that meet the eye, and that everything was engineered the way it was for a reason. I started to realize how pedestrian oriented the flow of traffic was. Wide side walks, low speed limits, one-way streets, etc. indicated a safe, inviting environment for an efficient flow pedestrians. All of these accommodations aid in the encouragement of walking and biking, and thus benefit the shops, restaurants, bars, etc. that make up the majority of the local businesses downtown. I also noticed an abundance of law enforcement officers in the vicinity, traveling by bike, car, and even on foot; this too gave myself and others on the field trip additional comfort and sense of safety. 

While the inner parts of downtown are heavily shopping, eating, and drinking oriented, the outer skirts have some interesting attractions that until my field trip, I had never seen before. One of the most notable of them was the stormwater runoff basin. I had never seen a stormwater basin in person before and I thought it was really cool and unique; it was also nice to see our local city promoting environmentally green/sustainable practices. Another notable feature on the outskirts of downtown is the beautiful “Centennial Park”. The park is a great place to relax with friends and family, or to spend some alone time and enjoy the surrounding views. The park is also home to some cool pieces of history including a statue of a Union soldier that I learned represents the victory of a small battle that took place in Fort Myers during the Civil War! 

Long story short, the design and infrastructure of downtown Fort Myers is much more than meets the eye, and by taking a field trip down there I learned way more than I ever would've imagined going into it!

Analysis

While downtown may have a few notable examples of efficient land use and urban environment, they definitely could be doing a whole lot more. Besides the stormwater basin, as impressive as it may be, I can’t really think of any other self sustaining practices that are implemented into the area down there. Due to the age of the city, it’s not surprising that it lacks proficient “urban forestry”; however, in this day and age, it is important to update our industrial environments to fit the needs of the biological environment. Fortunately, we learned in class that this can all be done while not only maintaining an aesthetic look, but also benefiting the economy, as well as society. 

One example of a simple, but effective, way of benefiting the environment, society, and business in downtown all at the same time, is to simply just plant more trees. Trees benefit the environment for obvious reasons, but amazingly enough they also benefit society by providing shade and aesthetic attention grabbers for pedestrians, and can even cool down businesses enough to lower a/c costs! During our guest speakers in-class presentation, we also learned that having a tree planted at your store front has actually been proven to increase business by an impressive percent! as for more intricate urban forestry practices that could be implemented into downtown Fort Myers, things like better sewage and runoff systems, possible solar panel structures, etc. could all be possible additions in the future. 

Whether you realize it or not, the design of where one lives can completely change the way one goes about their lives. From general (yet completely relied upon) measures such as the infrastructure of roads that make transit possible, and food sources that make it easier to sustain life, down to the smallest details like a nice tree next to a store front that attracts a new customer, without these designs, everything would be different. I personally know I won’t be satisfied unless I live in an environment that is highly industrialized, but still accommodates both society and the environment very well… not just the economy. However, as humans rapidly develop and industrialize the planet more and more, we also have been quickly killing it. Fortunately, we’re finally learning how important it is to not tear down the natural environment to build upon, but to build around it and use millions of years of evolution to our advantage; and beginning to realize that if done right, it can save money while saving the planet. I just hope we can take these positive steps towards sustainability and run with them before it’s too late.

Our field trip group in front of the old courthouse

The stormwater basin downtown