What’s happening to Des Moines?

[Nor'MidWester]

It's a shame how downtown DSM seems to be a wasteland of empty streets and empty parking garages that seem to take up half the space DT. Aside from Court Ave area it is a wasteland and all that parking space is absurd

You can thank our grandparents escaping to the suburbs and automobiles for that.
Don't look at old pictures of downtown Des Moines. It's depressing how many beautiful buildings and dense city blocks were tore down for freaking parking lots and garages. We used to have a beautiful block long train station. Tore down...

And now we are trying to build up that density again, slowly. Too bad new buildings have 1% of the character of the ones we demolished all those years ago.

 

[cayin]

You can thank our grandparents escaping to the suburbs and automobiles for that.
Don't look at old pictures of downtown Des Moines. It's depressing how many beautiful buildings and dense city blocks were tore down for freaking parking lots and garages. We used to have a beautiful block long train station. Tore down...

And now we are trying to build up that density again, slowly. Too bad new buildings have 1% of the character of the ones we demolished all those years ago.

Des Moines has as terrible history of tearing down historic buildings and mansions. There used to be more mansions along Grand Ave, but they tore them down and put up some really ugly 1950s style type of apartments(I'm not talking about the mid rise ones, those are nice). They probably thought they were trying to modern things up, but it is out of sink with the rest of the neighborhood along Grand.

 

[ISUTex]

But she **** on concrete. It’s exciting. I once got to watch a guy piss on the library across the street from my office here in town. Dude really had to go.

You need to to go to San Fran. You would be super excited.

 

[ISUTex]

That cop should be suspended.

The cop is probably taking orders from the Mayor.

 

[ISUTex]

Instead of complaining about the homeless, I always ask what the solution to it is?

Maybe the top 1% shouldn’t own as much as the bottom 90% in this country, and maybe we should take care of our population of people with mental challenges? Instead we’ve defunded mental hospitals and closed them.

Have you offered your spare bedroom, to any of these homeless people?

 

[Nelcyn]

I remember along the Food Bank there were some tweakers and homeless. Kinda isolated to that area. Nothing like Colorado though. Colorado they are everywhere.

 

[cyadict]

It's a shame how downtown DSM seems to be a wasteland of empty streets and empty parking garages that seem to take up half the space DT. Aside from Court Ave area it is a wasteland and all that parking space is absurd

Many of the big employers still have most of the staff working from home.

 

[clonehome]

I don’t think we have that great of a homeless population in dSM. LA and San Fran are at epic levels of homelessness. It’s crazy how bad it has got
Out there

Likewise with Portland, and I’ve heard Seattle. I travel to Portland occasionally for business and the homelessness blows you away. It’s every where.

 

[Cyched]

Regardless of what numbers are used, IMO Des Moines is a pretty nice size and I see very little to gain by it growing to the size of Omaha, St. Louis, Memphis, etc. But there is no science behind that theory, just my experience when visiting those cities.

I think the DSM metro could grow to the size of Omaha and still thrive without losing the quality of life aspects that appeal to people. But I generally agree with what you're saying.

 

[cycloner29]

I saw recently where Twisted Vine Brewery was moving to the Market District/East Village area from their current location in West Des Moines.

 

[qwerty]

Have you offered your spare bedroom, to any of these homeless people?

Actually, I have. Back when I was single and owned a 3-4 bedroom house. Once I was married and then had kids, no.

 

[I@ST1]

I fly out of DSM a decent amount and pretty much every time within 30 min of boarding there are no seats left at the gate. The restaurant is always full too.

Why would you go to the airport in for drinks and something to eat before a flight?

Hell in Des Moines you can show up 30 minutes before boarding and get through security and be at the gate.

 

[clonehome]

It's not, though. It's confined to a relatively small area. The media has made it seem the town is overrun, but Portland is a beautiful city with a small area of homeless.

I’m relying on my eyes, not the media. Portland is a beautiful city but the homeless are all over the place. Not just under the bridges and overpasses. In alleys, city parks, and along the bike trails as you head south of downtown.

 

[MuskieCy]

Size is a bad way to compare metro area livability.

For example, good old QC's, " Combined Statistical Area (CSA) population of 474,937,"(wikipedia). We all know the beautiful QCA!!!!

" Asheville metropolitan area, which had a population of 424,858 in 2010, and of 469,015 in 2020.[4]"(wikipedia)

Uhhhhhh,.......where would you want to chill?

 

[MartyFine]

 

[dmclone]

I think the DSM metro could grow to the size of Omaha and still thrive without losing the quality of life aspects that appeal to people. But I generally agree with what you're saying.

Yeah, I agree. I just don't see any advantage to growing to the size of Omaha. Besides it's great zoo, I see no advantage Omaha has over Des Moines. Not that either place gets a lot of tourism from outside the state but if you were to recommend a place to visit for an outsider, I'd consider them about equal.

 

[dmclone]

Not being political because it's been this way for decades but the U.S. really needs to do a better job of improving the immigration system. Other countries seem to be better at bringing in immigrants to fill in gaps and give them the tools to be successful.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Not being political because it's been this way for decades but the U.S. really needs to do a better job of improving the immigration system. Other countries seem to be better at bringing in immigrants to fill in gaps and give them the tools to be successful.

It makes it easier in other countries because they are more educated, more informed, and most other countries extreme radical right wing party isn’t mainstream.

 

[cyIclSoneU]

its not a question of if the DSM metro will grow or not, its about how to make that growth a positive thing for the community. Tacking on more and more neighborhoods on the west edge of the suburbs and having those folks drive in and out of DSM proper to work day to day is not really healthy growth. But it is the kind of growth that American cities have relied upon for like 60 years now.

There is tension between that old school and the newer school of promoting city living, walkability, neighborhood amenities where you can live in a 1+5 above a cafe, a Walgreens, and your barber, walk to a Hy Vee a block or two away, and (in larger cities, not really DSM yet) take public transit to commute to work. But there are still plenty of people who would prefer to live west of Waukee in a big house and drive in and out of the city. So promoting growth on both ends can be in tension as I said.

 

[CoachHines3]

It makes it easier in other countries because they are more educated, more informed, and most other countries extreme radical right wing party isn’t mainstream.

yeah man america fkn blows