The Deleted Scenes - New and Old #38
The Single-Staircase Radicals Have a Good Point, Slate, Henry Grabar, December 23, 2021
This is similar to the phenomenon of extremely wide residential streets in the United States, which are often defended as necessary to bring in fire engines. However, in many other countries, the fire engines themselves are smaller, designed to fit a normal street. And yes, they work. There’s an issue of these two-staircase codes tilting the playing field towards larger developers and larger projects:
Grabar is writing here about a wonky building-code issue, but it also speaks to something much broader and more conceptual: an American tendency to seek lots of excess capacity. Five- or eight-seat cars that usually have one occupant, wide roads, huge parking lots, etc. We find comfort and convenience in this redundancy. But we’re also giving up a lot of possibilities that we often don’t think about. Read the whole thing. Sitting on a former parking lot bordering a subway station, this new apartment complex built through the efforts of the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is an example of a growing trend. Some have dubbed it “YIGBY” for “Yes in God’s Back Yard,” as urban churches in recent years have begun to use parking lots or underutilized land for new housing. The article points out that the lack of senior-friendly housing often forces seniors to leave neighborhoods they have lived in for many years. These units make it easier for them to “age in place,” as the term goes. Big Cars Are Killing Americans, The Atlantic, Angie Schmitt, December 29, 2021
I suspect there are some people who would read this and conclude, “So she wants me to die instead!” But that reaction assumes that safety is zero-sum. Yes, some number of auto-related fatalities are probably inevitable, given the inherent danger in driving and the ever-present possibility of human error or, occasionally, mechanical failure or malfunction. But the irony is that big cars are only safer because they marginally protect against other big cars. I wrote a little bit about this here, where I argued that the station wagon should replace the SUV as the typical family car. Making cars safer for pedestrians does not make them less safe for occupants. The fourth entry today is not an article but a fascinating Twitter thread from Alex Aslup, documenting the unlikely, recent revitalization of vacant, dilapidated homes all over Detroit. Probably having something to do with the pandemic, moving patterns, and housing prices, this is one of the most interesting things I’ve seen in a long time. Check it out and give him a follow. ![]() ![]() Related Reading: Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support this newsletter. You’ll get a weekend subscribers-only post, plus full access to the archive of over 200 posts and growing. And you’ll help ensure more material like this! You’re a free subscriber to The Deleted Scenes. For the full experience, become a paid subscriber. |
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Have You Ever Lived in a Strip Mall?
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #38
Everyone's a Little Bit NIMBY
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
To some extent, resisting change is perfectly natural
A Great Everyday Neighborhood
Monday, December 27, 2021
Don't overlook old suburbs
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Thanks for Reading!
Saturday, December 25, 2021
A brief post
New and Old #37
Friday, December 24, 2021
Friday roundup and commentary
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