September 22, 2003
Romulus and Remus: Ahead of their Times
This article, about many major European cities trying to live without cars downtown for a day, is interesting enough in its own right. Just the fact that they even could attempt that in Europe is telling; try that in Boston or San Francisco, even in choking traffic jams, and see how many people suddenly become activists.
But I really raised my eyebrows at the comments of bookshop owner Mario Catanzaro, on why the experiment didn't work in Rome: "As a city, Rome is constructed for cars."
Really? I've never been, but I'm amazed that Julius Caesar and the other rulers of Rome planned their city with an eye to the automobile, which wouldn't be invented for 2,000 years. Good job, guys. Even if you didn't lay out the entire highway grid in a day.
Posted by michaelf at September 22, 2003 05:24 PM | TrackBack
