In a recent op-ed piece, Ed Glaeser (aka "city guru") spoke out against the restrictive zoning and development -averse tendencies of Boston communities. He paid particular attention to the efforts to "down-zone" the Central Square neighborhood in Cambridge. It was an excellent bit of commentary, but I take issue with his criticism of Boston's streetcar suburbs. He regarded triple decker neighborhoods as "inefficient" which is simply not accurate. Although his critique was directed against the energy consumption of older, uninsulated buildings, he failed to appreciate the fact that these building types have proved amenable to renovations that make them considerably more viable than many modern high-rise dwellings. A curious feature of triple decker neighborhoods is that their homogenous character and high density probably made the high density of Boston's core possible.
Mid-rise and high-rise dwellings are not the future of American city development--we simply have to much land for that to be practical. High density neighborhoods like those in Dorchester and Roxbury offer a middle ground between the inefficient post-war suburbs and luxury condos in the Back Bay and the Ladder District.
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