In this column we would like to make the case for what makes Rockland such a vibrant and growing place. Listed below are some of the reasons we love Rockland.

Rockland's Main Street has retained its integrity as an urban exterior space over the last 20 years. The fabric has remained intact while being transformed and revitalized through a variety of creative entrepreneurial businesses moving in and integrating with the existing stores and industries.

One of the reasons Main Street works is because it has retained its scale and texture. The consistency of the street wall creates a long outdoor room. The buildings are at least as tall as the street is wide. The rhythm of individual businesses makes for a lively pedestrian experience. Although the traditional department stores have left, their buildings are now finding new uses. However they still seem to retain certain grittiness, reflected in the granite copings and lintels.

The history and identity of Rockland's buildings have remained remarkably intact, and those that have been renovated have been done with sensitivity to the streetscape. The evolution of the city and street has come about one building at a time. Sensitive developers such as Matt Simmons, along with Higgins and Merriam Architects, turned the Strand around from a dump to one of the evening anchors for Main Street. Rick Rockwell restored 449 Main St. at the other end with historic integrity, creating space for 3 Crow, Josh Hixson's latest eating establishment, to open up.

Many of the business owners on Main Street are also the building owners. As a result, there are a lot of innovative uses being made of these buildings. Tom O'Donovan at Harbor Square Gallery turned a bank into an art gallery with a roof garden, something that could not have happened in rented premises.

The creative economy feeds Rockland with a new energy, epitomized by the many art galleries and restaurants. Rockland is a place to go, even if you're not sure what you're going to do. There is a cinema, restaurants, bars, art galleries, shops. The often confusing messy vitality contributes to the quality of the pedestrian life.

There is life on the street both during the business day and in the evening hours. The synergy created by the adjacency of Planet Toys, Hello, Hello Books and Rock City Coffee is a good example. The fact that an olive oil store like Fiore can survive in down town Rockland year-round is phenomenal. Although things slow down, it is a year-round economy, fueled by both food and art.

One of Rockland's strengths is that it hasn't shunned the car. Traffic is essential to the life of the street. There is a tension between the pedestrian experience of an outdoor room and the ability to drive through the street slowly and become immersed in the pedestrian culture. The car is a positive element that contributes to the vitality of the street. The visibility of store fronts jogs your memory and makes you realize you need olive oil for supper. It is almost like walking in a car.

This is not coerced – there are a number of ways you can bypass Main Street. You can take route 90 or 1A (Broadway). Rockland itself also acts as a filter, somewhat like wetlands for traffic. There are numerous options for driving and parking created by the grid of streets.

The location of the strip with its big box stores at either end of Main Street may actually support the downtown economy. Being able to stay in Rockland instead of driving to Augusta or Brunswick increases the likelihood that we will also spend an hour on Main Street, having a sandwich at Atlantic Baking Company or a slice of pizza at the Thorndike Creamery.

Robert Indiana's "EAT" sign, atop the Farnsworth Art Museum, whether you love or hate it, seems to epitomize the complex and sometimes confusing vitality of Rockland. More than one tourist has mistaken the art museum for a restaurant. This vitality continues to attract new businesses. For instance, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art is moving from the quiet village of Rockport to the messy energetic excitement of Rockland.

Monthly art walks, reclaiming the street for the summer solstice, the Blues festival and the Maine Boats Homes and Harbors Festival all help to anchor Rockland as a destination, however perhaps the most tangible expression of Rockland's identity can be seen in its street parades. Floats, fire trucks, guys in go-karts wearing red hats, marching bands, Boy Scouts, goddesses, Grandpa in his Model T, and flying candy are an exuberant expression of a community that has evolved but not forgotten its roots.

Chris Wohler came to Camden 20 years ago after living in New York for 24 years. She has a BA in History from Cornell University and a Masters of Architecture from Columbia University. She has taught at Ball State University, Parsons School of Design and Columbia University. Her design practice, Breathing Space, encompasses everything from architectural design to retail merchandising.

She likes blackbirds, crosswords, babies, Miles Davis, avocados, quantum physics, Robert Frank, chartreuse, Puccini, roses, graphite drawings, the collaborative process, Great Danes, Patti Smith, gardening, J.S. Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello, architectural plans, movies, Philip Pullman, cooking with friends, everything by Beethoven, New York City and her two sons who currently live there. Reach her at breathingspace2@gmail.com.

Rosie Curtis lives in Camden and teaches architecture at UMA.

Originally from England, she has been designing and building in Midcoast Maine for the last twenty years although she indulges in a spot of work for a British engineering firm now and then. She holds two bachelors degrees and a masters degree in architecture and has been interested in the built environment her whole life. She believes that design is fundamentally about things working well and looking good. Her two kids are fed up of hearing her pontificate about all things design related and hope this column will provide a channel for her endless wonderings. Reach her at rosie@fairpoint.net.