309. 2018 ends and 2019 begins

Link to Table of Contents

Getting ready for a new year

It's time to get back into the habit of posting this blog. I have tons of content, just haven't been in the mood to post. I'm also determined to finally add a Table of Contents. When I started this blog I didn't really know what I was going to do with it, so I skipped the Table of Contents work -- mistake. Now it's the longest of my blogs and it's impossible to find anything. I'm going to start at the beginning and reference anything of importance.

Between that and finally posting my backlog of content, I should be able to keep a regular schedule again for at least a while. Unfortunately, I think there will be a lot of random content for a while. But then again, that's kind of why this is called "Bloggity" rather than something more meaningful.

Going the extra mile

Have I mentioned the guy who I frequently see out on the sidewalk on Pine Street during afternoon rush hour? I assume he's a drug dealer even though I've never seen him approach a car. I mention this because I haven't seen him for a while. I'm guessing he's my age or older. I like to think he lives in the somewhat interesting newer building I see him in front of, though it would make more sense that he lived elsewhere and only came here to take advantage of Pine street becoming a virtual expressway for the evening commute. 

Ignoring logic, walking past there today I was imagining him felled by some kind of age related affliction. One of his neighbors -- somewhat like me -- is called upon to help him out by... well, taking his place on the sidewalk. It's not like the SFPD are going to bust someone for selling a little something these days. How far would an officer of an HOA -- I imagine him as an officer, of course -- go these days to assist a fellow owner? 

Cities From Scratch

I was just ranting to someone about how poorly "Planned" cities are planned. How they more often resemble suburban office parks than successful cities. So how would I plan a city? 

For starters I would start with residential units -- and I mean inside the unit. I'll start with what I personally would want, but you would need to do this for as many different resident groups as possible. And that's a lot of groups.

I would want a studio apartment -- no surprise there -- but with low cost access to a guest room and an on-site storage area. Exercise and laundry facilities would be very convenient -- laundry on the same floor; exercise in the building. The kitchen would be flexible, mine would be basic but someone more into cooking could easily upgrade. The bathroom would include a recycling shower so you could have endless showers that would only use a couple gallons of water, and very little energy for heating. The toilet would be flushed with recycled grey-water. The laundry area could also be a gathering place. If the building was big enough, there might be retail establishments (dry-cleaners, markets, day-care centers, hardware stores) mixed in with the residential units, or more conventionally clustered at the base. There should be a supermarket or two within six blocks, along with most of the other businesses a person frequently needs. That means there should be a good commercial street with a variety of cafes and shops.

Another topological option would be buildings built around elevators large enough to lift a contractor's van. These would bring the resident's cars to a garage adjacent to their unit, so bringing in the groceries would be similar to doing that in suburbia. There would also be an outside terrace area of some size and with a fair degree of privacy. 

There should also be some kind of park within that (six block) range and access to substantial public transit hopefully a little closer, like four blocks. There should also be transit access to neighborhoods of light industry and loud entertainment. Most blocks should combine high and low end residential with offices and schools. 

An at least 10% tax on rent would insure that both commercial and residential space is almost always occupied. (The landlord would have to continue paying the tax even if the unit was empty.) The retail options on a commercial street should be carefully curated to provide activity all day and well into the night.  

Street grids are boring, but they do have their advantages. I would have a grid with every other street having truck traffic under the street level (like in downtown Chicago) with loading docks for all the buildings in the blocks on either side. The other streets might have express auto lanes underneath and regular traffic above. At grade there would just be buses, taxis, bikes, and pedestrians above the trucks. (This doesn't mean all the streets would be excavated. The sidewalk level might be twenty or more feet above the ground.)

The minimum building density would be like Haussmann's Paris but with allowance for a couple towers in each block but set back from the street. A typical block would be intersected by open laneways or covered shopping areas with residential above. Retail/commercial would be encouraged at ground level and one flight up and down.

Smaller (in footprint) buildings would also be encouraged, though allowances would also be made for larger buildings that included multi-floor vertical streets (like a 2-4 story Medieval block but sandwiched between other, similar vertical streets in a building, and accessed by large elevators that only stop at "street" levels.)