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libertangoDavid Sucher of City Comforts points to this piece by Inga Saffron, an architecture critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer. (Note: The article requires registration, but I tried cypherpunk//cypherpunk for User ID and Password, and got in.)
Choice quotes:
"(T)he more I looked, the more I felt that Amsterdam lacked something as a city.
Where were all the surface parking lots?
Try as I might, I couldn't find a single asphalt clearing in the whole of Amsterdam's central city, which is roughly the size of ours. Not a crack to provide a glimpse of light amid the relentless march of houses and offices and cafes and shops. Not one scrap of paved land where a person could exercise the right to insert a vehicle head-on instead of sweating to parallel park - and pay a sack of Euros for the privilege.
Meanwhile, I returned to our city to find that two new lots had opened for business in Center City. I had been gone eight days.
At this rate, it's going to take a while to clear enough land to ensure enough cheap parking for everyone. Maybe years, even. Do you think downtown Detroit was unbuilt in a day?"
*^*^*
"(D)ensity just breeds more density. Despite the limited parking in Amsterdam, there were times I couldn't get my usual cafe table because crowds of tourists had come to gawk at the old buildings. They clogged the museums, spent like sailors in the shops, and added to the lava flow of pedestrians and bicyclists who interfered with decent drivers looking for parking.
By the end of my stay, I knew it didn't have to be that way. All Amsterdam needs to do is pare the clutter. Let's say it razes every other block. Then it, too, could have easier parking and fewer tourists. I wonder if anyone over there ever thought of that?"
Now, just for an add-on, someone commenting on a different post by Sucher points to these lovely pictures of Paris from on high.
Hm. Where are the parking lots? :)
Choice quotes:
"(T)he more I looked, the more I felt that Amsterdam lacked something as a city.
Where were all the surface parking lots?
Try as I might, I couldn't find a single asphalt clearing in the whole of Amsterdam's central city, which is roughly the size of ours. Not a crack to provide a glimpse of light amid the relentless march of houses and offices and cafes and shops. Not one scrap of paved land where a person could exercise the right to insert a vehicle head-on instead of sweating to parallel park - and pay a sack of Euros for the privilege.
Meanwhile, I returned to our city to find that two new lots had opened for business in Center City. I had been gone eight days.
At this rate, it's going to take a while to clear enough land to ensure enough cheap parking for everyone. Maybe years, even. Do you think downtown Detroit was unbuilt in a day?"
*^*^*
"(D)ensity just breeds more density. Despite the limited parking in Amsterdam, there were times I couldn't get my usual cafe table because crowds of tourists had come to gawk at the old buildings. They clogged the museums, spent like sailors in the shops, and added to the lava flow of pedestrians and bicyclists who interfered with decent drivers looking for parking.
By the end of my stay, I knew it didn't have to be that way. All Amsterdam needs to do is pare the clutter. Let's say it razes every other block. Then it, too, could have easier parking and fewer tourists. I wonder if anyone over there ever thought of that?"
Now, just for an add-on, someone commenting on a different post by Sucher points to these lovely pictures of Paris from on high.
Hm. Where are the parking lots? :)
