A Place for Us – Dense Urban Development Meets West Side Story

Absolute Astronomy fireescape image

Cool, Daddio! My vacation took me to Times Square and my kids first venture into Broadway magic with the reproduction of the Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein work-of-brilliance West Side Story.   While timeless (and not a dry eye in the house), the play reminded me that the rival street gangs of New York’s west side were fighting over “scraps of land” and that tragic, yet MFEO, love birds Tony and Maria dreamed of “a place for us“  with “peace and quiet and open air.” 

I’m not saying Tony and Maria were sprawl fanatics, but I bet (had they stayed together) they (like millions of their contemporaries) would have headed for Secaucus or other ’burbs.  Not saying I blame them but the dream of space, peace and quiet, security and privacy are the challenges in providing the quality of life we feel entitled to within a dense urban framework.  The hum of freeways and clang of light rail screeching wheels and warning bells, the glare of streetlights and headlights, the conflicts created when finding ourselves in close proximity to others – these are the by-products of living in tight urban environments. 

The challenge is to provide other desirable elements – high quality services, short convenient commutes, healthy walking environments, engaging cultures and ideas, alongside the less desirable elements of more noise and intrusion while not sacrificing safety and security. The devil is in the details, but for the “millenials” the challenge will be in creating quality, sustainable environments that learn from the past.  As suggested by Myurbanist Urbanism and the Venitian ghetto article - one persons TOD might be another’s ghetto.  But let’s hope that “We’ll find a new way of living, We’ll find a way of forgiving“  And that “someday” is soon.