OLD FRIENDS

It happens too often. Urban planners tear down older sections of the city to make room for the new. Old friends like record shops, small cafes, bookstores, priceless historic buildings, the patina of life and low-cost places to live are all swept away.

In their place they build an iconic building or center. Planners hope it will be a beacon for new development. It all takes time though and sometimes never happens. So, these bulldozed new areas of the city languish, sometimes just turned into parking lots. 

There are lessons of life an urban planner should consider. When old friends are cast aside, they are lost forever. It takes a long time to find new friends and even longer to get to know them like your old friends.

David Young