THE ELDERLY PLANNER

 Notes From The Elderly Planner: Walking with the young dog who rescued us and now manages our house, I thought about some ideas that young urban planners have. Some involve parking automobiles. They’re “agin” it. Some suggest if we eliminate parking requirements, world peace will descend upon us. I’m not so sure.

Truth is, cities do often over-require commercial parking. That’s a topic for another day. Today I’m stuck on residential parking.

On each day’s walk, we often have to take to the street because a car, actually usually a pickup truck, sits athwartships to the sidewalk (when there is one.) This is one of those problems that didn’t plague us so badly 50 years ago. Why? One reason is that people had more concern for their neighbors 50 years ago. Another is that a modern middle or upper middle-class family now with two teenagers may possess four automobiles and a hunting jeep. Visitors usually come in cars.

As Mayor Furlow Thompson of Pot Luck, Arkansas says, “Where the hell you gonna put ‘em?”

It's gonna get worse. Our state just passed a law that requires allowing accessory dwelling units in all residential districts (good idea) but prohibits cities from requiring parking for those extra units (what the hell were they thinking?) Somehow, things will work out. It’s called “pixie dust planning.” That’s the same thinking that allows if we build enough trails, people will walk or ride bikes to work. (Today here: 95 degrees F and 97 percent humidity.)

As Ernest Hemingway said (not about urban planning but it often fits) “Isn’t it pretty to think so?”