12-29-2017, 03:44 PM
(12-29-2017, 02:26 PM)Viewfromthe42 Wrote: I don't mean to tell you that you are wrong, but I do feel it is important to point out the corollary for any argument or point. Yes, some people get cold easily (even in a heated office, my circulation means that my toes and fingers are constantly like ice), and it is a personal choice whether a few extra minutes in that cold is worth it to support your neighbours' businesses. We all have tradeoffs we make, but ultimately they do have subsequent realities formed on account of those choices. I think the map is helpful for some because it can help dispel the idea that the mall is so much less walking or time outside, but indeed for some it is their choice. I am proud that I spend the overwhelming majority of my dollars at locally-owned locations, but even I make certain less desirable choices, such as renting a car on occasion to visit family, rather than taking a series of buses. And indeed I'm trying to even change my habits further, by getting myself prepared to attempt winter cycling.
100% agreed about the map — it shows the distances in Uptown really are not far at all. And especially for people visiting just one establishment, the total distance outside might even be less in Uptown depending on exactly where we assume they park at the mall vs. in Uptown.
I think my viewpoint comes down to the idea that thinking more about weather protection is something that can be done by designers everywhere, whether they are designing a single building or planning an entire city downtown. We shouldn’t associate weather protection with big malls in the suburbs which I agree have significant downsides, with the biggest probably being the car dependence that is usually associated with them. And we definitely shouldn’t blame the problems of malls on their roofs. Rather, it is their parking lots, and ownership structure, and overall layout, and sometimes their walls that relate to the problems. So with better design, there shouldn’t need to be as extreme a tradeoff between a nice area and an enclosed area.