Published on Page 12 of the Septembert 4, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life:

By Marty Cheek

Marty Cheek

Marty Cheek

Back in my college years in the late 1980s, I interviewed the writer William H. Whyte in San Jose’s Fairmont Hotel about his recently published book The City: Rediscovering the Center. Downtown San Jose was at the height of its massive upgrade project. Scaffolding caged rising new buildings and the deafening growl of jackhammers pierced the air. The city’s Redevelopment Agency had brought Whyte in to be a guest speaker for its staff. My hour’s one-on-one conversation with the author about human behavior in an urban place was a chat I often think about when I consider the future of downtown Morgan Hill.

One of the things Whyte talked about was the absolute vital importance that a downtown district has to a city. Downtowns traditionally serve as the heart and soul of a community, the place where the economic and social life is centered. Downtowns traditionally are places where people gather to take care of their business and to celebrate their city.

Whyte and I talked about how the growth of suburbia after World War II caused many cities across America to lose their community souls by moving their focus away from the downtown and to outer districts. Cookie-cutter neighborhoods, shopping malls and industrial parks were built on the outskirts of cities where the land was cheap.

Downtown San Jose took a hit when the massive Valley Fair shopping mall opened in the summer of 1956 on the orchard periphery of the city, sucking anchor department stores like Macy’s out of the city’s downtown and creating a vacuum of retail. By the 1970s, downtown San Jose resembled a warzone. Widespread graffiti, pornography, homeless people and drug dealers made it a place most citizens did not desire to visit.

Whyte spoke about how a downtown must serve as a social attractor for people. He talked about the need for restaurants, shops, entertainment, architecture and amenities on the street — such as benches, flower planters and signs — to work together in a downtown to give it a human touch.

Downtown Morgan Hill has come a long ways since I first moved to our community from San Jose in July 1999. That month, some friends and I explored the downtown district for a place to eat. The sidewalks were virtually empty of people during our early evening stroll. Restaurants stood empty. My friends asked me if had moved to a ghost town.

Today, our downtown is a destination. It has a sense of place. Most evenings, the streets and sidewalks are abuzz with activities. The restaurants have throngs of patrons enjoying the excellent cuisine that has made Morgan Hill a meal-time Mecca for the Silicon Valley. There are plenty of fun events throughout the year, including the summer months with the Thursday Night Street Dance and Friday Night Music Series. Our downtown is still very much a work in progress, but with the new homes being built around its periphery, no doubt we’ll see even more people taking a stroll down its streets to participate in the active social and business life found there.

In keeping with the theme of Whyte’s notable book, Morgan Hill has rediscovered the center.

Marty Cheek is the publisher of Morgan Hill Life.