how should cities be?

[hotfoot]

seriously, answer. please. it's for school.

[larryhead]

Cities should be diverse and well organized.



PS. That question makes no sense.

[professor booty]

Ah yes, how should things be? because if we only knew how they should be, we could force the populace to be like they should. All citizens will conform to the way all cities should be without question.

The truth is; cities ARE, even without a should be. A should be may have started some of the process, but it is always changing. I don't know how Minneapolis should be, but I start with how I should be and my being is a part of the city being. What should Chicago be?

This is a strange question. Is this in response to New Orleans and how they are going to rebuild? What's the class?

[bangg trimm]

i agree generally with the prof. booty ( i, like, have to, or he'll be pissed)

however i do think that smart city planners realize that you must have some uninterrupted space, some green space. the amount needed rises with the population and population density. not only does it allow for gentle and genteel recreation, dear readers, it is a psychological necessity. take new york. no really, take it. there is so much compression here in spatial, individual (& group) psychological, and temporal ways that without some relative void to release into, in which you are able to not-see traffic, the walking hordes, the shopping hordes, the constant rectangular permutations, you would have apeshit anxiety erupting constantly and demanding change.

thus, some people (generally communists or socialists) also see this open space as a manipulative ploy to allay the people's woes with some shoddy ass swingset-and-field combo, sucking just enough of their collective energy and pain that revolution is stopped cold in its tracks.

some say the same of comedy. whatever.

like most things comprised of many people, a [political] city is nice when it is responsive to the needs and voices of its oft diverse components. as booty suggests, it is, by fact of existence, already responsive. i am speaking of a more conscious responsiveness.

i also like ethnic neighborhoods. it's also fun to go to the gayborhood to visit. mini-cultures in a city give it flavor. but i also think to ghetto-ize myself into a young gay 'hood sounds a bit like death and boredom. and a bit like fun.

since my commentary's flavor has reached the decidedly equivocal, i leave you now.

bangg trimm

[JVO]

Take a look at Brasilia, Brazil. City was built around 50 years ago to be Brazil's capitol and to encourage people to move West and help the overpopulated coast. Billed to be the "perfect city", it is the only modern city that was built all at one time keeping every possible need in mind.

Turned out to be a bust, but I bet it will give you some great information.

[matty]

Cities should have a personality, and pride in that personality, whatever it may be. Cities that don't have a personality are BORING. I feel like Kansas City doesn't have a personality and that's why it's boring, but maybe I don't know enough about KC.

How about anywhere in Iowa? BORING. No personality, and the people can't describe their towns without using the word "corn."

[paul]

One particularly upsetting urban planning issue that's come to my attention recently is this... Did you know that Chicago used to have something like 5000 more neighborhood taverns than it does now? I guess Mayor Daley has been cracking down on them, not renewing liquor licenses, and not replacing licenses when places go out of business for a long time now. Also, the city isn't giving out late licenses any more, which is why there are only two jam packed, impossible to get into, after 2pm bars, in all of Wicker Park/Ukranian Villiage.

This should be required reading for all urban planners:
http://www.westnet.com/~kbehrens/lsdbps/manifesto.html

Give people good social space, near by their homes, so they can go meet their neighbors. Make sure there's pleny of them, so that drinks and other services are competitively priced. Zoning laws that consolidate commerce and entertainment in one little part of the city away from where everyone lives are why most cities suck.

:dizzy:

[larryhead]

Well said paul.

[Padrote]

cities need women, pot dealers, and late night booze taverns....
the citie should be a place where the wife is not welcome. Kind of like Moe's Tavern.

[hotfoot]

One particularly upsetting urban planning issue that's come to my attention recently is this... Did you know that Chicago used to have something like 5000 more neighborhood taverns than it does now?

Actually, I believe the old number was around 5000 but is now near 2000. Still a disturbing dropoff. Most of those that have disappeared are on the south side.

[doublep]

Also, the city isn't giving out late licenses any more, which is why there are only two jam packed, impossible to get into, after 2pm bars, in all of Wicker Park/Ukranian Villiage.

ummmm -
There is a reason to the madness, and it is quite brillant.

1) Round up all the trashed people into two pre-determined places
2) wait outside of those bars and scam on the chicks as they stumble out
3) profit

I mean, tell them you are a cabby and are parked in the alley .. works like a charmer every time!
YMMV