I keep seeing photos of urban renovation in countries other than my own and marveling at the fact that even the "before" photo looks better than most streets in my city.
Over 20 years ago I moved from my native Portugal to The Netherlands.
Then over time I've moved backwards in this - in the sense of moving to countries with progressivelly worse urban planning and increasing pro-vehicle mindsets - first to Britain, then back to Portugal.
It's pretty infuriating when you actually know first hand how it feels to live in a place that doesn't put cars uber alles and are now living in one where its painfully obvious in everything from urban planning to how drivers tend to break mostly the rules that are there to protect pedestrians, that you're in a society which at least in this has a mindset from 40 years ago.
You don't even need to go live somewhere else; just visit.
I'm from Canada and went back to visit Germany and Belgium a few months ago. I already went to Germany and the Netherlands a few years ago and just used the trains. I had no fixed itinerary and was deciding where to go a day in advance before buying a train ticket to go there. It was obviously fine (most of the time) but because of how trains "work" here, I was anxious about buying tickets a day in advance, thinking it was "last minute".
Then while I was in Belgium I had to plan a train ride in Canada a week later, and there was no affordable tickets left. I was sitting in LiĂšge, and just bought a train ticket to Bruxelles that was departing in the next hour... while trying to book a train a week in advance in Canada, and failing to do so.
Every time I have to use a train in Canada, or just any kind or intercity service, even a coach, I'm painfully reminded of how bad it is here.
This is Haussmannien architecture, it looks pretty and unfiform because the prefect of Napoleon III in the 19th century got the permission to destroy most of the shitty medieval districts with poor people inside and build good looking housing with modern accomodations for rich people instead. That's largely why Paris is pretty today.
I wanna punch the voice that says "but won't the homeless sleep in the bushes?"
While this is nice, I do not really see any places where one can now cross the street?
Some cut-outs for pedestrians would probably be helpful for people who need to access a building on the other side.Rue du Dr Paquelin was pedestrianized so crosswalks aren't really needed.
Yeah. I'd do more little islands instead, which would also give space for other stuff, like benches or other seating areas, bike racks, etc.
Move the road over to one side, and give double space for greenery on the other side.
Then you can add benches, playgrounds, etc.Still.. As it currently stands it is an improvement over what came before
Definitely agreed. Strictly better than cars, but there has to be something we're missing here, else this is a huuuge pain in the ass for literally no reason.
Idk looks like a pretty short street to me Iâd say itâs fine
This looks great, but I feel like the trees might become a problem to the adjacent buildings when they mature, unless theyâre the type of trees that only grow tall and skinny?
Were I live there is a tendency to put trees in holes (about 1m wide) on the road side of the sidewalk - which puts them at least 1m away from the houses, generally more - and unless they get really tall (20m + tall) their roots are only really a problem for the sidewalk itself (which gets raised and bumpy) and even in this it depends on the kind of tree (so, for example, pine or oak are a problem but not orange trees).
I don't remember even seeing even the kind of brick wall that might surround a property cracked due to such nearby trees, much less actual buildings. Mind you, buildings over here are made of brick and concrete and have actual foundations.
Street trees are trimmed regularly in France when it's needed. People enjoy to see the green and the added privacy when it reaches their windows.
I have similar trees in front of my apartment building and I love them, they make me feel like I'm living in a tree house in the summer.
Not every tree essence grows as much as oak. I know some linden trees, older than I am, that were pruned properly one or twice a year and have kept a manageable size. I think hackberry tree don't get much thick with time and there essences of tree that are chosen to be put in the street because they don't grow that much in European climate.
Canât you cut trees to make them grow tall and skinny?
I donât know, Iâm not a tree expert. I mean it would be cool if thatâs how it works tho
I don't think the trees will grow much more.
Cool, ticks right at your front door!
I've never heard of anyone getting ticks from street vegetation. You would typically not walk through it unless you're a rat. What's your species?
How does one get off the sidewalk?
In the usual way trot trot
Patiently
Between the bushes. How would one get off the sidewalk with the cars parked in the way?
Between the cars, they don't fill the whole length off the street. Do you see a gap between those bushes?
In the bottom photo I kept scanning for Will Smith and his german shepherd
He couldnât be in the photo because he was too busy taking his underaged son to P Diddyâs sex parties.
While it looks nicer, the rent has doubled here
So: keep cities horrible so that the rent stays low. Got it.
You see, politicians are all just impotent victims and there is nothing at all they can do to control rents and cool down house price bubbles and their inaction (or even actions that help stoke the prices up) have nothing to do with them putting first and foremost the further enrichment of those who have the most riches /s
I think your statment here is actual in reverse of what you may want to point out.
An increase in rent shows a induced demand for the property. More people are wanting to live in this location, thus the rents have gone up because of this demand. The rent did not go up because of the cost of installing those trees, but because the trees are there.
Similarly homes located near public parks, schools, hospitals, or transit may have a higher price tag because more people want said properties.
In London you can literally spot where the subway stations are from a map of rent prices since prices within an area go up the closer a place is to the tube.
An increase in rent shows a induced demand for the property.
Nope. Increase in rent shows the pumped up scarcity.
More people are wanting to live in this location, thus the rents have gone up because of this demand.
Again nope. You are spreading propaganda without knowing it. Rent is driven by rental algorithms like Yardi and Realpage. Supply and demand do not work if the property is in the hands of few that calculate their prices using the same database and the same algorithms.
The rent would have doubled anyway. Paris is Paris.
Due to reno or price gouging?
nature is a costly amenity
