Richard Florida reports the results of a poll of what should be done with the 2000+ car dealerships being shuttered as a result of the bankruptcy reorganizations of Chrysler and GM:
- Ask the local residents about what the community needs (222 votes)
- Urban gardens (200 votes)
- Create walkable, vibrant places and improve current communities (138 votes)
- Farmers’ markets and local events (126 votes)
- Solar and wind energy park/vehicle charging stations (102 votes)
Odd, no, that the main concern of the respondents doesn’t involve the owners turning the space into something that will generate profits and enable them to continue to employ dozens of people per location? One supposes that farmers markets and vehicle charging stations could replace some of the lost jobs; not so much “urban gardens” and “walkable, vibrant places.”
For that matter, the “planetizens” seem to have an odd sense of spacial relationships. Aside from perhaps a handful of megastores, few car lots are big enough to turn into enjoyable parks, let alone put up enough wind turbines to make up a useful energy production facility.
Photo by Flickr user themarina under Creative Commons license.
