Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Dan
QFT
at every L stop.
in every neighborhood.
is there any city with a legacy rapid transit system that allows as much suburban-ass crap nextdoor to its train stations as chicago does?
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Even in the downtown area, the city institutes shitty land usage near stations. No way a Mcdonalds that look like it belongs in Orland Park should have been allowed to be built right next to the Grand/Chicago red line subway stop.
Now a city that does TOD right? DC. Even in suburban VA, there's tons of good infill development near every station. Here are some examples.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8828...8i6656!5m1!1e2
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8871...8i8192!5m1!1e2
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9111...8i6656!5m1!1e2
2/3 of these are in suburban Arlington. Notice the mix of high rises, mid rises, and dense infill.
Now lets do Chicago...
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8911...8i8192!5m1!1e2
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9035...8i8192!5m1!1e2
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9166...8i8192!5m1!1e2
Now I picked prime real estate blue line neighborhoods to show. If I were to show the orange line or green line stops you would see nothing but vacant lots and parking lots. Now is it the worst? No, but compare these 3 to the one I shown for the DC area, not even touching it. Every single L stop needs to be upzoned asap. Love this city but it needs the right leadership to realize its true potential, especially transit wise. Strip malls, drive thrus, and parking lots should be banned anywhere within a mile of an L station.