City planners

A fine example of what can be done: Walkway in Taichung city centre.

Ceramic pavement tiles near to the Museum of Fine Arts

In my view investors, architects and town planners do not do enough in cities to provide for nature and people. Cars always get priority at the expense of pedestrians. In this day and age when skyscrapers can be erected in no time at all, at huge cost, extra budgets should be provided for more environmentally friendly areas. It is clear that the future is moving in this direction but too slowly and many cities still have a very long way to go. Really there should be an international law that requires any building of a certain size to provide parkland, which is maybe 5-10% of the building plot. Financiers, builders and planners are never going to do this freely so making it law is the only way. It's in everybody's interest and in the long term I am sure it would pay off too.

When I say parkland, I mean grass and trees, not concrete and a few plants in concrete tubs. Why, why, why do grass areas in city parks have to be crew cut, what's wrong with a bit of wilderness in the city. Have you no imagination !!! Butterflies and bees need wildflowers but in most cities there is only noise and pollution. See SOGO & Co post for more on this subject. 

Sting - A thousand years