lickety jackblog

As any good urban-minded citizen knows, the key to healthy urbanization is density density density. Higher density encourages small business, community, safety and pedestrian-friendly living, and discourages automobile use (by limiting parking availability, and providing adequate commercial needs within walking distance). It helps public transportation for the same reasons.

In Chicago, there are still many zoning areas which mandate up to 3 parking spaces per residence. It's a problem seen in my own neighborhood when beautiful old grey stones with backyards and gardens are suddenly converted to concrete slabs in order to meet minimum parking requirements. If any of you have visited Dong Hardbody in Chicago, you know that his backyard is vastly preferable to that of his neighbors to the north, which might as well we a goddamned prison yard with its gravel base and razor wire fences. Talk about giving the impression of a dangerous neighborhood.

Not every city is so ass-backwards, however. Not everyone is looking to chop their legs from beneath them (urbanely speaking) by allowing the suburbanization of their cities by way of giant megastores with 15 acre parking lots, and encouraging (rather than discouraging) proliferation of car traffic.

London, for instance, continues on the right track. What badasses! This needs to happen in Chicago.

posted by Little Gordie @ 12:04 PM