Lately, I've been reading a lot about cities and all their problems. Sprawl. Low-density suburbs and
myths of high-density development. Poverty. Local governments making "subtle distinctions between residents, and deciding which groups are more or less entitled to the city's support" (pg. 14
Cities: a Groundwork Guide by John Lorinc). "Separation of uses" or "single-use" development vs.
mixed-use development. Specifically, I am realizing that our city needs a lot of work and I am beginning to have faith that
individual neighbourhoods will be the building blocks to creating a more vibrant, future-friendly city.
This song just came on & it seems so perfect tonight:
Soon, I'll get to the part about
smart growth,
new urbanism,
sustainable architecture and
transit oriented developments (TODs), but for tonight- sing it PJ.
- "Suburbia fails us in large part because it is so abstract. It is the idea of a place rather than a place." -James Howard Kunstler
- "[S]mart growth isn't just about rebalancing the way cities develop. It's also about restoring the notion that our urban spaces should have a "sense of place"." (p. 48, John Lorinc. Cities: a Groundwork Guide")