In old photographs of area buildings we still can see evidence of a time when a different set of artistic concerns were operating in this region of western New York (see "Dunkirk at the Turn of the Century"). The configuration and detailing of the buildings in those pictures indicate a deep concern for principles like scale, proportion, composition, and historic context. There were a great number of artisans with a wide variety of techniques necessary to execute these works. A decorative wrought iron fence or a stone lintel over a door required the hands of a craftsmen with years of experience. Such work was respected and honored.

As we look around today, and examine new structures, like the Walmart in either Dunkirk or Lakewood, we see something entirely different. These stores are essentially warehouses set on a sea of asphalt. The only color or design in evidence at either site is the huge self promoting sign "Walmart." The economics are clear. Build the largest store allowable as cheaply as possible and provide as much parking and as little landscaping as is permitted. This will make the store profitable. Maximize the bottom line.

Unfortunately, buildings like Walmart's in Jamestown and Dunkirk are the norm in today's construction industry. They are stamped out of a mold. (Interestingly, as a matter of economy and customer comfort each Walmart is almost identical. Walk around the inside of Jamestown or Dunkirk stores and you won't be able to tell what city your in.)

The exterior walls of buildings like this are often merely made of bead foam insulation boards covered with fiberglass fabric that is painted with a stucco-like plastic paint. These buildings might look like they are made of stucco or cement, but in fact are not built for the long run. They are more like refrigerator boxes than buildings.

This phenomena of constructing buildings without regard for beauty or craftsmanship is a more acute problem in our region than in other places. This is not to say that there are not similar problems in other places, but even limited travel around this country will reveal that the northeast is far behind other places. We have developed lower expectations and accept a lower set of aesthetic criteria when permitting development. We don't expect more. So we don't get it.

Recently I visited a part of the country that is developing very quickly...Cucamonga, California. It is a dry sloping landscape in the eastern foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. What were once grape and citrus fields are now suburban homes and shopping plazas. Almost every building is new. Many of the same national franchises we see here are there: Taco Bell, Mobil Gas, Builder's Square, Walmart, Midas Muffler, etc. What struck me was that someone had spent the time and energy to make these places look good. There was more attention paid to the needs of the pedestrian than we are accustomed to seeing here.

One of the more aesthetic buildings I noticed in Cucamonga was a donut shop opposite a Taco Bell. There were inset terra-cotta tiles, wrought-iron benches, and ornamental planters with well maintained plants. Traffic islands in the parking lot were lush with newly planted trees and landscaping. This was not a rich neighborhood either. It appeared similar to small cities like Dunkirk here in Western New York in socioeconomics. Certainly the franchises were the same ones we see here. Why don't those same companies build as beautifully here as in Cucamonga? Because we don't expect and demand it, that's why.

Some argue that the car has transformed our sense of what is beautiful to a distant landscape or a blur on the windshield. The pedestrian sense of space as an unfolding narrative is lost in the insulation and speed the car provides.

There are many people who think it desirable to improve their failing downtown districts. They are horrified that their cities seem on the verge of financial ruin. They complain about the death of their city's center and the lack of stores. They see poverty and blight where they once saw a vigorous community.

Some of these people think they have a solution to the problem; make it more convenient to park downtown. This is exactly the wrong solution. The "easier to park" solution is the very reason the suburban strip developments are sucking the life out of the city centers in the first place (See related pictorial essay, "Downtown Parking").

The solution for the cities is to solve the problem of the pedestrian, not the driver. Cities are brought to life by pedestrian activity. Cars and parking facilities are not what make a city healthy. Cities are healthy if there is a need for people to be on the street. In a time when you walked home from work or school, it made sense to do business with the butcher, shoe repair or newsstand that lined your path. The urban density and scale that was attainable with pedestrian traffic is merely an annoying lack of parking spaces when inside a car.

It's funny that in the strip suburbs people will gladly park in the huge parking lot, and then have to walk a quarter mile to enter the store they wish to shop in. Then they will have to walk a hundred yards through the massive store to find the aisle with crackers or rubber bands, only to find the store doesn't carry exactly what they want.

The parking lot is a kind of nowhere landscape. It's not public and it's not private. Sort of like those parking ramps in movies where innocent people are hunted down. It's designed for automobile traffic that just incidental has humans walking through it. There is nothing for the pedestrian but glistening hoods and blacktop. Almost an insect-like existence.

Inside the store on the other side of the long waiting row of cash registers. Its a kind of timeless place. There are no clocks. The illumination is always the same even fluorescent light. Many of the stores are conveniently open at all hours. As long as your credit is good you'll never have to leave the premises.

These are not public spaces in the way we used to mean public. The enclosed mall, or the Wegmans (incorporating the dry cleaner, photo shop, butcher, grocery, restaurant, etc.) have replaced Main Street with a private corporate commercial container where you shop under one roof. An up side of this is that someone can buy canned octopus at 3 AM. A downside is that the small individual business with expertise and special customer service can't afford to stay on Main Street, or anywhere else for that matter.

A specific example occurred when Walmart opened on a suburban strip in Lakewood here in Western New York. Richard Hinderer ran a pet food business in the small rural hamlet of Blockville nearby. He provided expertise in the feeding and care of rare pets. My brother-in-law used to make the forty-five minute trip from the next county to Hinderer's store in Blockville for pet food and advice on snakes and turtles. Hinderer didn't make a lot of money giving advice. He made a marginal income selling quality pet food in bulk to people who wanted to buy cheap. But he didn't have the buying power that Walmart has. When the Lakewood Walmart opened, Hinderer found they were selling the same brands of pet food for less than wholesalers would sell to him. Needless to say, his business suffered greatly, and his advise was sorely missed. The high school kid working for minimum wage at Walmart couldn't fill his shoes.

For some time Chautauqua County has had a Master Plan that advocates the widening of Route 60, so that it can become the economic spine for commercial development between Dunkirk and Jamestown. This might result in the kind of runaway strip development found on Peach Street, near the Mill Creek Mall outside of Erie, Pennsylvania. Ask the residents there about taxes and the quality of life in the fast lane. Before we let the County's Master Plan turn Route 60 into a commercial strip running along the backbone of our county, we need to raise our expectations and visualize a better place to be. If we are to leave the city behind, let it be for something with a little beauty and a shady spot where we can sit and enjoy the view. God knows, there is enough of the alternative already .

It's time for a change. We can only benefit by expecting more from developers who are interested in making money from our community. As it is, most of what is new here is cheap and ugly. It also requires too much parking space. We don't have to accept the garbage we have been getting or accept that the car is more important than the person in planning our future. If you have an opinion on how your area should be developed contact your local city, county, or state planning agency (see related article, "Avoiding Sprawl").