[PTSA]

SAKYLE04

You got me wrong. I like density and urban growth (lived in NYC for ten years). I just do not believe that light rail will get you there. What I am proposing, heavy rail, is closer to that density you are thinking about.

San Antonio caught my eye several years ago for its unique position in the growth scale. Basically it is at the crossroads between becoming another Denver, Seattle, Phenix, etc.. or a city of true world class proportions unique to itself therefore I responded here with this post.

I am trying to go beyond the current image of what the city should be like. Let me make it clear for you the sprawl is bad and the very high density is bad also. There has to be something other then those two options. Just because our cities grew the way they did from the 1900's does not say that they are correct now.

The European model is not the answer to this question. In the European model the individuals vitality and the pizazz of life of innovation and growth beyond the rudimentary needs of food, sleep, and vacations is gone for many.

There is something very special in the essence of the cattle drive, launching of the space shuttle, releasing a new iphone, climbing Mt. McKinley, working on a Windows deadline in Redmond, and outfitting the Boeing Jet at Kelly that represents us as Americans and that should be reflected by who we are and what we represent. It should reflect our cities and capture that spirit of life in how we live and become part of our lifestyle. We need to stop borrowing ideas from the past and Europe and concentrate on ourselves. It has to come from all of us and represent all of us. It is very hard and not currently clear but we have to take baby steps in that direction, I believe. Perhaps rapid bus transit is not the way to go but it will give us time to figure out what is right to us without creating expensive problems to correct.

Once a unique representative direction is determined then San Antonio can really become a true world class city expressing it's own unique style. It is to late for my area, as they have their set beliefs, right or wrong, that they embarked on and will not depart from them. I just believe they are very wrong in the end because they do not represent who we are as a society. Trying to squeeze people into something that one thinks is right for them in the end will not work because they are not a part of it. Our county is young, as judged by other established countries, and therefore I believe has not had the time to become what it can be. For a long time we represented the traits of our ancestors, but now it is time to leave the nest and fly on our own.

This got a little too much philosophical but without it you can not understand the direction I am proposing. Hope this puts some perspective on this post.