Is Vision Fairbanks a cookie cutter plan?
Sort of. All cities are comprised principally of streets and buildings. Whether in Fairfax or Fairbanks, streets and buildings can work together to combine investment and people for a better downtown. Vision Fairbanks recommends proven methods for improving buildings and streets that that have worked elsewhere in communities trying to attract investment and people downtown. All cities have people, too. Here again, the Plan assumes that Fairbanksans need office space and like to eat and shop and be entertained and have a sense of community. The Plan therefore recommends proven methods for attracting investment that will in turn attract people downtown to live, work and play. What makes the Plan a plan for Fairbanks, though, is that it is up to Fairbanksans to implement it, re-imagine and build our downtown. Also, the Plan is plainly inspired by the Chena River and downtown’s historic assets. Our climate plays a role in the Plan’s formulation, and looms large in the Plan’s early implemen
