A few years back when I skipped across the western edge of Europe on tour with the Seattle Men’s Chorus, one of the things I noticed was the tendency of cities such as Barcelona, Paris and Amsterdam to cater less to accommodating the private automobile and instead support a reliable public transportation system, including Metro trains.
If places such as Providence Everett Medical Center feel pressured to tear down historic buildings to accommodate parking for patients’ privately owned vehicles, the pressure is coming from the public itself. If we want to preserve historic districts and buildings the way Amsterdam preserves its charming canal-side townhomes, or the way Barcelona preserves its Gaudi designed buildings, then we have to demand a switch from private vehicles to public transportation. Good luck making that happen in a county that is considering giving over hundreds of acres to glorifying the motorcar.
Thomas J. Munyon
Marysville
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