Walkable cities have been around for centuries, but Leinberger argues that after the rise of the automobile, planners and real estate developers hit on the lucrative suburban strip-mall formula and stuck to it. "For 50 years we had this collective amnesia about how to build great places," said Leinberger, whose institution describes itself as a nonprofit public-policy organization.
I've long scorned the sterile strip mall culture of the suburbs. They might have the endless line of shops but there is not a modicum of culture to be found, just well-to-do yuppies, caring not for their appearance, shopping in their atrocious Crock shoes and sipping coffee from paper cups at Starbucks. Ugh! The flight from cities that took place in the 60's and 70's has resulted in a lamentable neglect of many American metropolises. Fortunately, there seems to be a renaissance of sorts going on in many cities. Milwaukee is certainly experiencing a revival in the downtown and Third Ward area and from what I've noticed in the short time that I've been here, the same could be said of Saint Louis. There are many reasons to hope for a return to the "walkable city." For one, buildings and the city ethos become more aesthetically pleasing since people will give them more notice on foot than if they were zooming by at 40mph.
http://real-us.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071204/ap_on_re_us/walkable_communities
Like i said in the Al gore post above, I proudly drive an SUV. I have no intention of visiting St. Louis or MIlwaukee, but have a hard time imagining yuppies in the land of lavern and shirley, Nelly, and obese cheese eating midwesterners. Sorry! The strip mall and the suburbs is American culture, liek it or not. If you want fany columns etc. go to europe thats what thewy do there.
ReplyDeleteMicah,
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your comments. You bring a refreshing independent streak to this blog, and your comments are funny.
Look, I was speaking about my personal preferences. I like having things in a city accessible and relatively nearby. And I think there are other derivative benefits that result from the walkable city, better architecture and improved aesthetics, etc. But I certainly don't think the government should enforce policies that go against the freedom of individuals to, say, drive SUVs. Perhaps I should have made that more clear.