Infrastructure investment and filmmaking

This past weekend I was on a film location for the current independant film I am producing and had a chance to revel in the joys that city investment in infrastructure bring about. We were shooting at Elizabeth Baldwin Park. Until a few years ago Baldwin park was virtually abandoned by the city and had become a haven for the homeless and drug dealers. It was located in a neighborhood that the city had stopped maintaining and investing in years before. The streets were crumbled and businesses were shuttered. The city more than a decade ago with the help of a federal grant started investing in the area again. It started with water and sewer line replacement followed by street and street light repair. This attracted a few brave businesses and pioneering home owners. Which in turn attracted more businesses. Which led to developers building townhomes and revitalizing existing buildings. Today the midtown section of houston is revitalized and becoming a safer and healthier neighborhood. There are cost associated with this change to the families and homeless that had lived in this neighborhood prior to its gentrification. This city has done little to address those cost and that is unfortunate but as I enjoyed the beauty of the refurbished park and watched kids playing and people walking their dogs on a sunday morning I couldn't help but smile.I believe that most cities, states and the country as a whole have been ignoring the crumbling state our parks, streets, civic buildings and services are in for far to long. I think we can make our cities more liveable in a number of ways. check out Baldwin park and read about its namesake. http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/baldwinpark.html

Photo provided with permission Wikimedia Commons, Whisper to me.