Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, August 8, 1995                   TAG: 9508300003
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

THE CITY MARKET'S SLICE OF FAME

And what impressive company to be noticed in.

New York City's Central Park. New Orleans' French Quarter. Washington's Vietnam Veterans Memorial. San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

Roanoke's City Market. ...

Roanokers might chuckle and wonder at its moderately bustling little open-air market being included among such names. Oh, the market is a real pleasant place, all right. But it is not in a major metropolitan area, is not world-renowned, is not a magnet for millions of money-soaked tourists. These things would, in fact, threaten the essence of the place.

Yet it appears with these world-class tourist attractions on a list of 63 of America's Great Public Places selected by Urban Initiatives, a New York urban design and architecture organization. And it belongs there.

For the designers set out to identify not the most famous places in the country, or the most historically significant, or the most popular, but places well-laid out for human-scale living. Places "where we share life with strangers and learn from that experience not only the confidence and tolerance that are necessary for civil society, but also the sense of mutuality and shared responsibility that define a community."

And you thought you went to the Market for fresh peaches and peas.

The rhetoric may sound a bit overblown. But we can appreciate what these urban designers are getting at, what they are trying to point developers and local planners toward in this era of separation and isolation and social sterility.

Public places that bring people together, where it is natural and comfortable for citizens of all backgrounds and walks of life to come with a purpose - it can be a purpose as simple as picking out a flavorful tomato - create a day-to-day sharing and familiarity that encourage understanding and cultivate community.

Roanoke has been fortunate to have maintained a farmers' market since the 1920s, but the sense of scale that makes it so accessible and the investment and redevelopment that have made it so attractive have not been a matter of luck. They are by design.

The farmers' stalls of fruits and vegetables were the heart of the market from downtown's heyday through its decline, and they remain the heart of it during its slow recovery. As truck farming declines, one of the market's greatest challenges will be to keep offering the fresh produce that gives the retail area its distinct character.

Meanwhile, revitalization has meant small shops popping open that add interest for daytime shoppers. Center in the Square has helped make the area a cultural and entertainment draw, with assorted attractions inviting crowds on weekends and after dark. The entire lot feeds customers to a growing number of restaurants in an enlivened downtown.

The market may not be one of the wonders of the world, but it's certainly a small wonder - just the right size for the place. Outsiders see what we should know: It needs preserving.