Comment 38305

By schmadrian (registered) | Posted February 22, 2010 at 08:35:17

Regarding the reference to New Road in the Wiki link...

I lived in Brighton. I was very familiar with this part of the city; I worked a stone's throw away. And it's a success...but then there are some long-established pedestrian sections nearby: the North Laine neighbourhood and The Lanes. Clearly, this section of town is an anomaly and if an area like this is cited, then the entire context should be entered into the discussion.

Besides which, Britain, as it never went through the post-war sprawl, has as its shopping default the 'high street' in most villages, towns and cities. (Brighton's sister city, Hove, has its own 'high street' in George). This is akin to our old model of 'main street', from bygone days. (Dundas still has its 'main street', and Locke Street has been trying its best to become this, not to mention Ottawa Street, etc.) But because they're coming from a different tradition than we are, the transition to 'shared spaces' is an entirely different one.

Again, I'm not pointing out all this to be a dyed-in-the-wool naysayer, merely to remind people that wishing doesn't make it so, and in order to get somewhere, you first really, really need to understand (and accept) where you've been (physically...and psychologically), and fully appreciate what's involved in attempting the migration. To do otherwise is folly.

Comment edited by schmadrian on 2010-02-22 07:37:04

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