| Most of my ideas revolve around the need for better transportation. Ideal (for me) but completely impractical: the interstate exits end in giant parking garages. Everyone walks, bikes, or takes light-rail/buses to get around the city. Only vehicles allowed in the city are deliver vehicles between 11pm-7am. This would probably only work in very small cities, sadly. More realistic: Las Vegas has the right idea on the Strip, though it definitely needs improvement. Cars and pedestrians should never have to compete for street-crossing opportunities. Pedestrian bridges to cross major avenues. Ground-level entrances should lead to parking garages or elevators. All customer-centric stuff should be on the "second" level where the pedestrians walk. Imagine just taking every sidewalk and jacking it up 12 feet. You aren't walking on the street, you're walking on a raised sidewalk that goes from building to building. This completely eliminates the need for pedestrians to stop and wait to cross the street, while still allowing cars free reign below. You could turn entire intersections into courtyards, freeing up more real estate for street vendors. This also frees up real estate for larger building footprints -- you don't need as many street-level parking spaces if every building's ground-floor is a giant parking lot! I'm sure all of the above is totally impractical and that you'll all shoot it down with pesky facts... but a man can dream... :) |