Listen in as Barry Kelley, one of the developers of Urban Exchange, talks about the impact that Urban Exchange will have on Harrisonburg.



Below is a rough transcription, for those of you reading on mobile devices without video capabilities...

I think the impact on downtown Harrisonburg is one feature that it will have, but I'd have to go even deeper and say that the idea of building an urban environment  and creating more functional urban environments is something that we as a society have been doing for hundreds of years.  It was until 1945, after the war and the baby boomers, that gas prices as they were allowed us to change our life and our lifestyles, and I think we've come to the conclusion that we are paying a big cost for that change in lifestyles.  And so, there seems to be a drawing back to the city centers and the urban environments because of increased use and better use of time and quality times with your children, and your friends and your neighbors. 

And so how does that impact Harrisonburg and downtown Harrisonburg, I think that is all part of the revitalization part, because people are coming to the understanding that maybe living 10, 15, 20 miles out into the county, has some downfalls, and so if you can live a simple life, maybe it can be more fulfilling in a lot of different ways.  So, how is it having an impact on Harrisonburg, I think it has a social impact on Harrisonburg and the surrounding areas, that our whole country is going through that is rather profound and we're just a small part of that.