I’m going to try channeling James Howard Kunstler, an urban planning and architecture critic who is generally known for his strong anti-suburban rants. He argues that much of this space is soulless and not really worth caring about, and I generally have to agree with him.

Here’s a page from what Kunstler would possibly refer to as “the tragic comedy of suburbia”. In a misguided attempt to inject some classical urban charm into the North Conway, New Hampshire location of Lowe’s, someone thought is would be a good idea to build-in a pretty hilarious row of fake second-story windows on their otherwise completely suburban box-store.

Multiple stories and mixed-uses are one of the most important principles of classical urban design. The stacking keeps the population density high enough to allow for varied street life, public transportation, and general walkability. The mixed-uses ensure that there are almost always people in the immediate area - either working, living, or shopping, which keep things interesting and makes sure there are usually eyes on the street, which is good for community and security.

This, though, does none of those things. It’s a sad attempt to channel the quaintness of a small-town America which barely even exists anymore.

Tags: Architecture, Urban