Mensch tracht, und Gott lacht

Monday, March 05, 2007

The City and Burb

I'm not a suburb guy. I mean, I grew in different suburbs and they're fine, but if given the choice, I'd rather not live in them. But I can't stand the sort of sneering, condescending, holier-than-thou attitude taken by so many a faux intellectual who deem "urban" life ever so superior, ever so much more amenable to a proper human life. So I'm always happy to come across a good beating to such preeners and here James Lileks delivers one, with a side-dish against the ubiquitous urban planners that ruined so many American cities in the 1960s. Deee-lish...

2 comments:

Kathy Hutchins said...

(1) Your link is overripe; permalink is here.

(2) Lileks's argument has a special resonance for me; I spent three charmed years in Minneapolis and anyone who disses the skyways is an abject idiot. They are from a classical liberal view a perfect example of a private response to a perceived need that is both utilitarian and aesthetically pleasing. There is a rare pleasure in being the parent of young Minnesotans unleashed in the safe yet intriguing world of the skyways on a January Sunday when the air temp is 5 below and the wind chill is 45 below.

Hunter Baker said...

The skyways rock in the winter. Minneapolis/St. Paul absolutely charmed me.