That's true. But you must admit that, these days, there's a novelty factor to LEED-approved design and green roofs. Hell, work around urban planning issues long enough, and you see how faddish and fleeting all that "novelty" can be.
A short history of an American thoroughfare:
1950s: Take out the streetcar for traffic.
1960s: Widen the thoroughfare for smoother traffic.
1970s: Build out the sidewalk in hopes of attracting more shoppers.
1980s: Add a streetscape to fill the empty shopping sidewalk.
1990s: Take out the streetscape because it looks dated.
2000s: Add a median for "green space."
When I think of all the money that's spent on this "great new idea" over the last 60 years, I wonder if we shouldn't have just kept the streetcars instead of spending $50 million here and $100 million there on the latest "sure thing."
Then again, you know cynical ol' me.
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