In its history, Harrisburg has been many things: a quickly growing village, a manufacturing center, a railroad hub, a government town.
Since the 1960s, the city has been trying to shake off a less-desired identity: poster child for post-industrial urban decline. Perhaps that’s why people so eagerly signed on to former Mayor Steve Reed’s grand vision of Harrisburg as a center for culture, sports, entertainment, education – well, everything.
Unfortunately, Reed’s vast ambitions effectively bankrupted Harrisburg and, in retrospect, often look downright silly (a sports hall of fame? a Wild West museum? a hydroelectric dam?). Reed’s massive overreach (and equally massive debt) also directly led to the city’s most recent identity: ward of the commonwealth.
As it tries to recover and move forward, Harrisburg has to begin to think in new ways. At the most basic level, it must understand what it is and what it is not.
Reed’s vision failed because Harrisburg is not a cultural or sports or tourism center – and no amount of borrowed money, creative financing and political coercion will turn it into one.
Harrisburg is a small city. To succeed, Harrisburg must do small city well.
City Re-Think
Since I moved here five years ago, I’ve often been astonished at how people depict and talk about Harrisburg.
Mayor Linda Thompson, much like Reed before her, tends to speak in inflated language of both Harrisburg and her own role in “history.” The media dutifully follows along, tailing her from one press conference to another, predictably overreacting over her verbal stumbles. Meanwhile, many suburbanites seem to fear that, by crossing the Market Street Bridge, they’ll enter what might be the setting for the next ”Mad Max” movie.
Folks: Harrisburg is a tiny urban center of 49,500 people. It’s not New York or Washington or Chicago. It’s not even Baltimore or Pittsburgh. And it’s certainly not some urban dystopia dreamed up by Hollywood.
Harrisburg has to accept that there’s nothing wrong with being a small city. Small cities can be wonderful places to live, as, unlike larger metropolises, they often more naturally can combine urban amenities, charm and livability.
Harrisburg must ratchet down its expectations to fit what it actually can be: a little jewel of a place perfectly sited on a grand river—somewhere most people may have never heard of, but, when they do stumble upon it, they’ll want to return and even live here.
The Basics
So, what does it mean to do small city well? It means putting aside grand visions and oversized projects, focusing instead on a handful of basic services that will attract more residents and visitors.
In short, Harrisburg can strive to remake itself as a clean, charming city with a well-functioning infrastructure. To do so, it must repair itself: its streets, sidewalks, curbing and water/sewer system. It must fix streetlights, collect trash, fight dumping. It must see that building codes are enforced and police effectively deployed.
Only then can Harrisburg become a more attractive place for those who are most likely to want to settle here: young professionals, the creative class and empty-nesters.
Of course, Harrisburg should welcome everyone. But let’s face it – the city is unlikely to get a middle-class family of four to move in from Hummelstown or Camp Hill. It has a far better chance of attracting recent college graduates who want an active nightlife, professionals who want to live in old houses in real neighborhoods and aging couples who enjoy nice restaurants but don’t like yard work or driving.
Meanwhile, Harrisburg should do everything possible to play to its strengths.
The city still has many largely intact, historic neighborhoods, an architectural legacy valued by those who enjoy urban life. It must take pains not to lose another Victorian-era townhouse or commercial building to neglect and the wrecking ball.
Harrisburg, in fact, should resolve to undo the immense damage of the post-war era. Unfortunately, the city can’t re-construct the many historic buildings it has lost over the past 60 years. However, it can minimize additional losses, while ensuring that new construction fits well into existing blocks. The office building at N. 2nd and State streets is an excellent example of new construction that is both thoroughly modern and conforms to a Victorian-era cityscape.
In addition, the city should swim with the current. People want to live and visit cities for such things as bars, restaurants, cafes, the arts, markets and specialty shops, all within or near close-knit neighborhoods. Harrisburg should spend its limited resources on the building blocks of urban life – infrastructure and safety – so these businesses can take root and thrive. It should avoid the usual wasteful economic schemes of loan funds, municipally financed building projects and the construction of tourist traps.
Lastly, the city should plan to return 2nd Street and Front Street to two-way traffic. These streets were designed for local use by city dwellers, not as high-speed escapes for suburban commuters. Three-lane highways slicing through the heart of the city are incredibly dangerous and stupidly self-destructive. Harrisburg would become far more livable if these gritty, perilous, industrial-looking streets were returned to the community as attractive assets.
Let’s Be Honest
Harrisburg has a chance to become a more desirable place to live and visit, but it first must be honest about what it is.
Harrisburg is a small city. If it can do small city well, it will be able to attract people – and their money – back into town. A more prosperous Harrisburg then can make greater investments in education, neighborhood development and a variety of other good works that, currently, are utterly beyond its means.
