I must have had at least 10 people tell me about this article in the New York Times. I received emails, messages, phone calls and one friend even gave me a copy of the paper over lunch. OK, I get it. I’ll comment on it.
The article is in the architectural section of the paper and discusses the fact that there are a lot of parking spaces in the US. Somewhere between 500,000,000 and two billion or whatever. The concrete could cover the states of Delaware and Rhode Island. OK, its a lot.
The article wrings its hands on what to do, what to do. It talks about ‘greening’ the lots (as we are already doing.) It talks about turning spaces into parks (as we do once a year). It talks about changing abandoned shopping malls into flea markets and parking areas for semis — well, great idea but the owner didn’t go ahead with it.
Oh, there is also the plan to do away with all lighting, and signage and markings in the lot so it will become a sort of city square with multiple uses. In Europe they have found a reduction in accidents when this happens, however we can’t do that here because of different liable laws.
So, all in all, it is an article with little substance, no result, and few workable ideas. I guess the folks on the upper East Side like that sort of thing, typical of the New York Times.
Just read it and tell me I’m wrong.
JVH
