Residents wouldn't mind noise or smells as much if it didn't reach their units. Perhaps it's time to require STC 72 exterior windows and walls and per-unit filtered ERVs?
The larger stores often are cheaper than the small ones, which is why some communities will not let Wal Mart or such come into their city. They are afraid (and rightly so) that the larger chain store will wipe out the smaller retail store (and justifiably so).
As for the architecture, you're better at answering why than I am. But I suspect it's the underappreciation of the old and the shininess of the new that is driving the development.
I also know the cost of rehabbing old buildings to bring them up to current code can be cost prohibitive and it's cheaper to knock the old building down and to rebuild the shiny and new (at least that is what our current hospital board is using as an excuse to build a new hospital the community cannot afford).
It is sad to see old buildings torn down, though. It's the architecture is almost like current culture, which I am discover goes something like this: "tear down the old, newer is better". And as most of us oldsters know, that is not necessarily true.
I always have to chuckle over "buy local" over the Big Box stores.
Especially when I go into the local and see the same things as the Big Box stores same manufacturers, same (or similar models) that are purchased "from away" but would cost me far more. Yet, the employees are local both in the Local as the BBS.
So why would I arbitrarily spend more for the same thing built in the same "far away" when I pay and the employees at both are people that live in town?
Not sure this is the most appropriate post to ask this question but wondering what your thoughts are on NEOM - one of Saudi Arabia's mega projects. https://www.neom.com/en-us/about
Everything about this project makes me shake my head in disbelief - especially the fact that they are actually building it! Or at least starting it. Only time will tell how far they get.
To be fair, I haven't taken a deep dive into this yet but like many of the utopian ideas that have come before it, it seems like an impossible dream. It's composed of 5 projects or 'regions' as they call them - Sindahla, The Line, Trojena, Oxagon, and Leyja. All of them seem to exude extreme wealth, excess, and privilege which never goes hand-in-hand with sustainability, at least not the way I think of it. The Line is a 500m tall, 200m wide, 170km long city for 9 million people that will run on 100% renewable energy and "have no cars or emissions". They tout the "sustainable" attributes of this model city for the future but it's only made possible by extreme wealth which in turn comes from selling billions of barrels of oil.
This is an excellent, really underrated challenge to new construction contributing to cities, neighborhoods and places. New buildings -> banks/mortgages -> desire for "clean," stable tenants you can show the bank. This system self-selects for national chains and abhors restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. In the US it's Duane Reade and CVS, in addition to banks and Starbucks. Before the retail apocalypse it was Barnes & Noble, Gap, etc. Cities almost need to require diversity in retail tenants the same way they require affordable housing in residential developments.
I heard an economist point out a while back that a corporate coffee shop doesn't need to out compete
an independent coffee shop. All they need to do is get 25 percent of their business. If they can do
that, it's only a matter of time before the independent coffee shop bleeds out financially and closes its doors.
Residents wouldn't mind noise or smells as much if it didn't reach their units. Perhaps it's time to require STC 72 exterior windows and walls and per-unit filtered ERVs?
The larger stores often are cheaper than the small ones, which is why some communities will not let Wal Mart or such come into their city. They are afraid (and rightly so) that the larger chain store will wipe out the smaller retail store (and justifiably so).
As for the architecture, you're better at answering why than I am. But I suspect it's the underappreciation of the old and the shininess of the new that is driving the development.
I also know the cost of rehabbing old buildings to bring them up to current code can be cost prohibitive and it's cheaper to knock the old building down and to rebuild the shiny and new (at least that is what our current hospital board is using as an excuse to build a new hospital the community cannot afford).
It is sad to see old buildings torn down, though. It's the architecture is almost like current culture, which I am discover goes something like this: "tear down the old, newer is better". And as most of us oldsters know, that is not necessarily true.
Would strongly suggest my friend Anna MInton's books Big Capital and Ground Control about how London has developed https://www.annaminton.com/
I always have to chuckle over "buy local" over the Big Box stores.
Especially when I go into the local and see the same things as the Big Box stores same manufacturers, same (or similar models) that are purchased "from away" but would cost me far more. Yet, the employees are local both in the Local as the BBS.
So why would I arbitrarily spend more for the same thing built in the same "far away" when I pay and the employees at both are people that live in town?
Hi Lloyd,
Not sure this is the most appropriate post to ask this question but wondering what your thoughts are on NEOM - one of Saudi Arabia's mega projects. https://www.neom.com/en-us/about
Everything about this project makes me shake my head in disbelief - especially the fact that they are actually building it! Or at least starting it. Only time will tell how far they get.
To be fair, I haven't taken a deep dive into this yet but like many of the utopian ideas that have come before it, it seems like an impossible dream. It's composed of 5 projects or 'regions' as they call them - Sindahla, The Line, Trojena, Oxagon, and Leyja. All of them seem to exude extreme wealth, excess, and privilege which never goes hand-in-hand with sustainability, at least not the way I think of it. The Line is a 500m tall, 200m wide, 170km long city for 9 million people that will run on 100% renewable energy and "have no cars or emissions". They tout the "sustainable" attributes of this model city for the future but it's only made possible by extreme wealth which in turn comes from selling billions of barrels of oil.
"Brazilian coffee chain" 👌🏻🤣
Oh man, I didn't know about the Brunswick Tavern. That makes me sad.
This is an excellent, really underrated challenge to new construction contributing to cities, neighborhoods and places. New buildings -> banks/mortgages -> desire for "clean," stable tenants you can show the bank. This system self-selects for national chains and abhors restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. In the US it's Duane Reade and CVS, in addition to banks and Starbucks. Before the retail apocalypse it was Barnes & Noble, Gap, etc. Cities almost need to require diversity in retail tenants the same way they require affordable housing in residential developments.