Detroit Still Tearing Down Usable Historic Buildings for Parking Lots/ W. Vernor

[wolverine]

What should the city do with all of the abandoned properties? Nitpick about suburban-style improvements? At the end of the day, it's not up to the city to save its urban form, but us. [/COLOR]

Yes, cities have building and zoning codes. Bulk regulations that can permit or prohibit certain types of development. They can also have overlay districts to regulate the character of properties as well as their appurtenances

Cities DO nitpick. Properties go through comprehensive reviews everyday. Cities modify zoning ordinances to meet changing needs while maintaining character, safe and clean environments. If Detroit is going to accept this type of development....well that's tragic.

[Bham1982]

Cities DO nitpick. Properties go through comprehensive reviews everyday. Cities modify zoning ordinances to meet changing needs while maintaining character, safe and clean environments. If Detroit is going to accept this type of development....well that's tragic.

Nothing gets built in 99% of the U.S. without accessory parking. This is true even in the most urban of cities, excepting NYC and small areas of a couple of downtowns here and there.

I don't see what's so "tragic" about the scenario. Americans drive cars, and businesses want customers. In a perfect world everyone could walk to everything, I guess.

And re "cities do nitpick", that's, in part, why our cities have such poor built environments. The great urban neighborhoods of the U.S. are all built pre-zoning code. Zoning is just a tool for interest groups to control the built environment, generally to the detriment of others.

[wolverine]

Nothing gets built in 99% of the U.S. without accessory parking. This is true even in the most urban of cities, excepting NYC and small areas of a couple of downtowns here and there.

I don't see what's so "tragic" about the scenario. Americans drive cars, and businesses want customers. In a perfect world everyone could walk to everything, I guess.

And re "cities do nitpick", that's, in part, why our cities have such poor built environments. The great urban neighborhoods of the U.S. are all built pre-zoning code. Zoning is just a tool for interest groups to control the built environment, generally to the detriment of others.

Bham1982, I agree that zoning is part of the problem when it comes to sprawling cities, but most urban areas have successfully maintained traditional urban composure. It was more restrictive zoning in urban areas that allowed strip malls to starting popping up along older commercial avenues....True. Lesson learned: it didn't make those areas any better if they were in decline. Parking alone won't save cities, but decimating blocks of buildings doesn't necessarily help Detroit, and it definitely wouldn't help most other large American cities.