December 2009 Archives
Hartford: It's A Parking Place -- Courant.com
Sounds like Tulsa:
"Since 1960, the number of parking spaces in downtown Hartford increased by more that 300 percent -- from 15,000 to 46,000 spaces. This change has had a profound and devastating effect on the structure and function of the city (see accompanying maps) as one historic building after another was demolished.... Over the period that parking was being increased by more than 300 percent, downtown was losing more than 60 percent of its residential population, and the city as a whole lost 40,000 people and 7,000 jobs....
"The contrast between, Say, Portland and Hartford is stark in terms of economic vibrancy and social vitality. Hartford looks more like the hundreds of other American cities that have hollowed out their core to accommodate automobiles.
"With more that 700 parking spaces for every 1,000 employees, Hartford has the dubious distinction of being near the top of the list for parking -- up there with cities such as Detroit and Buffalo."
According to DTU's website, downtown Tulsa has 38,300 parking spaces and a daytime population of 34,000. That's 1,126 parking spots per 1,000 employees.
Urban Review STL: Growth of auto related structures
Steve Patterson shows with photographs how pre-war auto-oriented development accommodated cars while maintaining a pedestrian-friendly environment.
YouTube - Kim Peek speaks at the Kircher Society Meeting Pt 1
A public appearance by the megasavant with the prodigious memory who inspired the film Rain Main.
news from me: Arnold Stang, R.I.P.
The voice of Top Cat and Herman the Mouse has fallen silent at age 91. Mark Evanier shares some memories, including Stang's response to the offer of a limo ride to a New York recording session: "No, I like to walk. You don't stay in touch with the city in the back of a limo."
I can't stand the tear-off tab behavior in 3.5, so I'm going back to version 3.0.
