SF Eliminates Dept of Parking and Traffic

This news is a few months old, but interesting.

... "The demise of the parking and traffic division is good news for those of us who think that streets are about more than just parking and traffic, auto traffic,"

"The real question is has the thinking changed."...

BTW, on a follow up to the Enquirer's strange headline a few weeks ago that generated tons of mis-information, about the streetcar eliminating parking spaces, Tom Vanderbilt has a great piece in Slate on the high cost of free parking:

Minimum parking requirements are based on a form of “circular logic,” in which planners estimate parking need by looking at the highest levels of parking demand at suburban locations with free parking and no transit options. As a result, the space devoted to cars often exceeds the space devoted to humans (one study found mall parking lots were 20 percent bigger than the buildings they serviced), and the country is awash in a surplus of parking supply....

... the most invidious cost of parking lots is also the most difficult to measure: the way that they kill any attempt at decent architecture, both on the level of individual buildings and on the level of city development more broadly. Your favorite buildings, your favorite cities, and your favorite vacation destinations all have one thing in common: a distinct absence of massive parking lots. So why are these things mandated by zoning regulations across the U.S.? It makes precious little sense, and it’s high time that minimum parking requirements died a long-overdue death...

13th and Pleasant

13th and Republic Streets. Vacant lots in foreground, rehabs in distance:

 

Give Up the Bat Cave

I think it is an inherently American desire to park your car in your house. This garage archetype is often made fantasy in movies with pod-bay doors, shuttle craft, and even the Bat Cave.

Now there are perfectly pragmatic reasons to want to keep your car under a roof. There may even be a reason to park it inside your house. But what I am talking about is the desire to see the world from behind a windshield, then immediately escape from the street directly into the hidden safety of the cave. In this situation, the front door, your door to the neighborhood is kept shut.

A few weeks ago, Krista Ramsey had a short article in the Enquirer about why she takes the bus, and it basically said that being outside for a couple blocks between work and the bus stop connected her better with the city. The shortest of walks and entering through the front doors of the office was much more rewarding than zooming directly from home to office. And I couldn't agree more.

If you move downtown, and have money, you can buy or rent a place with your own bat cave. But it is unnecessary in my opinion. Sometimes that walk from car or bus to your front door is a hassle. Sometimes someone asks your for change, or you may get wet in the rain. But the urban experience primarily happens on the sidewalk. Why avoid it? Why live in a city if you don't walk it?

You may step out your door tomorrow, and meet the mayor, or you may meet a guy dressed in a clown suit. Each day brings a new surprise, each walk is full of happenstance. That is why we live here.

Starbucks

 

Above is a photo of another underground parking garage being built, this one in Savannah, GA. At great expense, this city is rebuilding Ellis Square. I think the sentiment of this graffiti is a serious concern in a beautiful but somewhat earthy city like Savannah. The riverfront and market area has turned totally touristy and tacky, and they risk losing their authenticity IMO.

I drove hundreds of miles over Easter break, and was surprised that Starbucks is so prevalent at freeway exits. I had my first Starbucks' experience ever last week, and it was in a Kroger store. The $3.00 cappuccino was of low to average quality, and I really don't see why they are so popular or why they are considered to be the preeminent sign of urban gentrification. I wonder what percentage of total Starbucks stores are urban vs. those that are suburban in another store or in a strip mall vs. those that are stand alone with drive-through.

I can only think of two Starbucks in Cincinnati, one downtown and one in Clifton, but I'm sure there are dozens in the neaby suburbs.

Food Trucks

One sign that Portland is attitudinally different from Cincinnati, is the presence of dozens of Food Trucks on parking lots throughout the city center. Would the people of Cincinnati ever allow such disorder to occur? I doubt it. The Building Department would have fits.

I loved it. We need some of these guys to set-up at Fifth and Race.

Mexican Food Truck, closed on Sunday:

 

Russian Food Truck:

 

Food trucks crowded on a Friday afternoon:

 

More food trucks closed on Sunday:

 

UPDATE: There is a new blog devoted to Portland "Food Carts".