Well, the city could remedy things some with design guidelines. A sidewalk setback would do wonders, but the dark color of the buildings is also problematic, and so are the block-long blank walls.
The LaSalle/Van Buren station is also a big problem - its mezzanine and platforms block light for a 2-block stretch. It has the lowest ridership of any Loop station, and that ridership would be low even for a neighborhood station. I know CTA has some lofty plan for "2 stations on each leg of the Loop" but is this station still needed? Service to the area is already provided via the Blue Line, which serves both sides of Congress. The elevated station doesn't even provide any transfer opportunities that can't easily be accommodated elsewhere in the system.
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la forme d'une ville change plus vite, hélas! que le coeur d'un mortel...
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