IN ALBANY LIES THE POTENTIAL FOR A FLOWERED, URBAN PROMENADE THE GREENING OF LARK STREET.(PERSPECTIVE)

Byline: PAUL M. BRAY

Lark Street is a treasure many cities wish they had.

So pronounced Richard Bradley, director of the Washington-based International Downtown Association, who was invited to Albany last spring by the Albany Roundtable and Albany's Department of Economic Development.

Bradley was responding to the street's diversity of shops and restaurants, historic character and comfortable human scale.

His reaction contrasts sharply with that of others, who point to vagrants, vacant store fronts and the shabby appearance of some buildings. They see Lark Street as seedy.

There is truth in both reactions. Lark Street is a place both of promise and pathology.

For people who don't care for the largely synthetic dining experience found in malls, Lark Street eateries such as Justin's, Shades of Green and the Daily Grind are a real pleasure. Dining can be followed by a walk in the adjoining historic neighborhood or Washington Park.

The street could be the centerpiece of an urban setting that evokes …