Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

"A community’s physical form, rather than its land uses, is its most intrinsic and enduring characteristic." [Katz, EPA] This blog focuses on place and placemaking and all that makes it work--historic preservation, urban design, transportation, asset-based community development, arts & cultural development, commercial district revitalization, tourism & destination development, and quality of life advocacy--along with doses of civic engagement and good governance watchdogging.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Sentiments from West Virginia and Virginia

I can't imagine that eminent domain is an issue in most places, including on this side road in Hardy County, West Virginia, although it is close to the Lost River State Park.

The second image is from I-66 in Virginia.








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posted by Richard Layman @ 3:45 PM&Permanent Link

5 Comments:

At 10:19 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You don't get out much. Eminent Domain is an easy issue for conservatives to drum up hysteria about in pretty much all of rural America. While you're out there, switch to the AM band in your rental car for a real earful.

 
At 8:10 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love to go to urban places and make fun of them just b e cause they think different or look different. Sadly I do not post pictures making political fun of urban folk. That would not be polite as I am obviously a red state, screwing-my-sister, eschewing shoes, racist, gun-toting, government hating, De!iverance kind of guy.

 
At 10:06 AM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

well, the shenandoahs do have the issue of the land being seized to create the park back in the 1930s.

But while I understand the ED issue pretty well, most places, most parcels of land don't have to deal with it and so it is a chimera.

 
At 10:11 AM, Blogger Richard Layman said...

the city has "crackpots" too. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have uploaded photos of political signs occasionally posted on the property of an area resident who lives at the corner of Blair Road and Whittier Street NW.

I'll find some photos I'm sure as I troll through my backfiles...

 
At 12:28 PM, Blogger Annie said...

I just ran across your post from 2014 while looking for local snow pictures. This picture at the top from Hardy County is just up the road from me.

Yes we have eminent domain issues here in Hardy County. At one time the area where you took that picture the local Conservation Agency was planning to take land to build a dam for recreation use.

My father had been fighting this issue since the 1960s until his death in 1994. The issue would have taken his family farm for most of the dam. My mother also fought the issue from the 1970s (when she married dad) till her death in 2015.

Since Mom's passing we have invited those pushing the dam to come to our property to see just exactly what they would be taking to build the dam. Since that time they have changed their minds on this issue.

I have in my lifetime saw where people lost their homes and land right here in the Lost River Valley due to eminent domain. You would never think in such a beautiful and rural place that that would happen. However, it does.

 

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