Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician
What's wrong with shadows in parks?
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You could ask the New Yorkers who brought their black umbrellas to Central Park last Sunday for the big
Stand Against the Shadows rally.
Not significantly shadowing public open space is a fundamental tenet of urban design in a climate like Chicago's. It's in the first chapter of any textbook on the subject. You only put shorter towers right at the edge of the park's southern and western border, and shift the bulk into buildings 200 to 300 feet away from the edge. Particularly galling in this case is wasting the huge T-shaped parcel that runs along Wabash on some parking podium, while not only harming the city's premier public space but also thumbing your nose at the landmark district. The only possible reason not to shift the number of units into three shorter and more efficient towers is naked greed, thinking you can more easily get Chinese investors to park their money in condos with jetliner views out over the park.