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Look at the lead image. Who wouldn’t want something like that in their city? (See note at end.)
But perhaps these developments, welcome as they are, miss a larger point–and a greater possibility for the spaces between buildings. Advocate Patrick Traughber brought this question to light as part of a twitter exchange:
The car drivers of the hill districts of San Francisco, through their selfish demand for parking and unfettered speed in the flats of the city, have contributed to blocking green & equitable mobility in SF. We should charge them a stiff fee and build funiculars like this. pic.twitter.com/GbpP920F77
And if that seems far-fetched, San Francisco used to have them. Although the image below looks like it features a cable-car line, it actually showcases a funicular:
Looking down the hill at Fillmore Street | Circa July 1903. Image: SFMTA
Maybe those are all the wrong questions. Placing huge swaths of asphalt between buildings is a practice to accommodate cars. Perhaps, as we enter a new decade, we should be taking asphalt itself out of the equation, transforming space between buildings into something else entirely?
Metro staff are recommending the board approve funds to support two 91 Freeway expansion projects located in pollution-burdened communities in Southeast L.A. County - in the cities of Long Beach, Artesia, and Cerritos