American Cities are UGLY: Why We Don’t Build Nice Places Anymore

Have you ever been somewhere and thought: Wow! This place is beautiful! Maybe its the fine details in the architecture, the sounds of people chatting and enjoying themselves, or simply the energy and atmosphere the place gives off. But you might have also wondered, why are American cities so ugly? Its the cookie cutter sameness of suburban neighborhoods, and the commercial strips surrounded by parking lots, chain stores, and gas stations. Of course there are many exceptions, but the vast majority of our cities are forgettable and soulless places. Places you only go to if you have to, and leave as soon as possible. And if this is all you’ve known, how could anything be different?

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➜ References & Further Reading:
How to Make an Attractive City - The School of Life
   • How to Make an Attractive City  

The Rise and Fall of Modernist Architecture
http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/artic...

North Vancouver Zoning Guidelines
https://www.dnv.org/business-developm...

The I-45 Expansion Is Happening, So Get Out of the Way
https://www.houstonpress.com/news/rea....

Donald Shoup - The High Cost of Free Parking
https://www.amazon.ca/High-Cost-Free-...

The trouble with minimum parking requirements
http://shoup.bol.ucla.edu/Trouble.pdf

Henry Grabar - Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...

Walmart or Smallmart?
https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2...

How to Fight Those "Boxy Buildings"
https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2...

Why McDonald’s looks sleek and boring now
https://www.vox.com/22736636/mcdonald...

Parking Reform Map
https://parkingreform.org/mandates-map/


➜ Timestamps:
0:00 American cities are ugly
1:06 The birth of Modernist planning
2:41 Highways destroyed our cities
3:48 The high cost of free parking
6:28 How to design a beautiful street
10:09 What does your city value?
11:31 It doesn't have to be like this

flurf
#urbandesign #urbanplanning #americancities