4 ms·

When did roads become the only meaningful public space we have?

by saraid216 13y ago

malandrew 13y ago
Such a depressing question. I reckon the book "The high cost of free parking" goes into detail on this question.
- saraid216 13y ago
  Walkable City and Happy City are also both fairly good books. Walkable City is better in terms of suggesting actual changes, but Speck's tone is unrelentingly unconstructive. Happy City is better on tone (passing a low bar there), but the meat of the book is in the title and probably better captured by Enrique Peñalosa's TED talk.
heydenberk 13y ago
Several of these photos depict actual park space. See the second photo, for instance.
- saraid216 13y ago
  I'm not sure what you mean. The first photo is a triangular island of snow; the second photo is an intersection with a lot for sale in the background; the third photo is a different triangular island; the fourth photo is another triangular island. I scrolled through all the photos and saw nothing except the trails left behind by cars making their way through snow across road intersections. Where is the park space?
  - maxerickson 13y ago
    4 and 5 show some open space and later, by Gino's steak house a park is discussed (and sort of shows). Looking at a map doesn't show a massive amount of parks, but there are several block sized spaces within about 1/2 mile.
    - saraid216 13y ago
      Ahhh. I see. Hey, it's a whole paragraph dedicated to pointing out how we might stop running people over. I... That's honestly not what I want out of a discussion of public space. There was a really crappy, vapid, superficial, Buzzfeedesque article in The Atlantic Cities about "placemaking" during the Seahawks parade in Seattle that discussed public space more than this does. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2014/02/5-placemaking-lessons-seattles-amazing-super-bowl-parade/8329/ http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2014/02/5-pla... It's not really a public space when everyone is enclosed in a rocket-powered coffin communicating through flashing lights and loud honks. =X Actually, I wonder if I could get someone to make a play like that.
      - maxerickson 13y ago
        A slightly more charitable view is that they are trying to actually make progress given the circumstances they have. Looking at their 'Advocacy' category, a previous post talked about closing sections of the same street to cars, but they do focus on streets (I suppose that is related to the street already being public property).
        saraid216 13y ago
        Sounds like I'm being too harsh, then. It's legitimate, in my view, to reclaim streets for the use of people without actually tearing up the asphalt and putting down grass. The issue is that the notion of a public space implies social encounters: friends are met and made, issues are raised and discussed, action is proposed and taken. A focus on how cars use roads whitewashes all of that because you can't do any of that from the seat of a moving car.

When did roads become the only meaningful public space we have?

malandrew 13y ago

Such a depressing question. I reckon the book "The high cost of free parking" goes into detail on this question.

saraid216 13y ago
Walkable City and Happy City are also both fairly good books. Walkable City is better in terms of suggesting actual changes, but Speck's tone is unrelentingly unconstructive. Happy City is better on tone (passing a low bar there), but the meat of the book is in the title and probably better captured by Enrique Peñalosa's TED talk.

heydenberk 13y ago

Several of these photos depict actual park space. See the second photo, for instance.

saraid216 13y ago
I'm not sure what you mean. The first photo is a triangular island of snow; the second photo is an intersection with a lot for sale in the background; the third photo is a different triangular island; the fourth photo is another triangular island. I scrolled through all the photos and saw nothing except the trails left behind by cars making their way through snow across road intersections. Where is the park space?
- maxerickson 13y ago
  4 and 5 show some open space and later, by Gino's steak house a park is discussed (and sort of shows). Looking at a map doesn't show a massive amount of parks, but there are several block sized spaces within about 1/2 mile.
  - saraid216 13y ago
    Ahhh. I see. Hey, it's a whole paragraph dedicated to pointing out how we might stop running people over. I... That's honestly not what I want out of a discussion of public space. There was a really crappy, vapid, superficial, Buzzfeedesque article in The Atlantic Cities about "placemaking" during the Seahawks parade in Seattle that discussed public space more than this does. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2014/02/5-placemaking-lessons-seattles-amazing-super-bowl-parade/8329/ http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2014/02/5-pla... It's not really a public space when everyone is enclosed in a rocket-powered coffin communicating through flashing lights and loud honks. =X Actually, I wonder if I could get someone to make a play like that.
    - maxerickson 13y ago
      A slightly more charitable view is that they are trying to actually make progress given the circumstances they have. Looking at their 'Advocacy' category, a previous post talked about closing sections of the same street to cars, but they do focus on streets (I suppose that is related to the street already being public property).
      - saraid216 13y ago
        Sounds like I'm being too harsh, then. It's legitimate, in my view, to reclaim streets for the use of people without actually tearing up the asphalt and putting down grass. The issue is that the notion of a public space implies social encounters: friends are met and made, issues are raised and discussed, action is proposed and taken. A focus on how cars use roads whitewashes all of that because you can't do any of that from the seat of a moving car.