And now, loyal Friends of Fullerton’s Future, we return to a theme a bit neglected of late, namely: our built environment, with an emphasis on both aesthetic and policy issues. In the past we have spent some time highlighting some really good examples of appalling public architecture and design paid for by the taxpayers. Now let us cast our attention to an example of bad design foisted on a private commercial development by Fullerton’s own tasteless planning bureaucrats.
Hey! Number two sounds good. This must be Wykoff.
Irvine Reddit feed re same story. https://www.reddit.com/r/irvine/comments/1k1i1vu/irvine_rejects_dirty_politics/
Currently, there is a 574 vote difference between the "selected" and Kuo. This is not a landslide, more of an…
Well it's only a year-and-a-half until voting starts in the full-term election for District 5, so it's nice to see…
Agran is the same putz that endorsed khan for supervisor after she threatened revenge on the county for withdrawing from…
This Kuo creep is just another Bilodeau. Why did Agran get into bed with this zit? Other than fellow zitness.
[REDACTED] Tammy has other more pressing things to worry about like her own liberty which may be in jeopardy due…
Two name Tammy has zero credibility regardless of Kuo’s shortcomings which seem aplenty.
Tammy Kim unloads a MOAB* of schadenfreude. Over Here. https://www.tammykim.com/irvine-special-election-results She sent it to me and I believe I will…
It was a reference to a bluffing card game. And Nooone defended the chair NAACP operative Amilcar Aaron or their…
Tony, thanks for this post. Far too few people understand the relationship of the built environment to ideological political structures and as a physio/psychological utensil of power.
An adept reader of the cityscape can deduce many things about the people who run it and the people who live in it.
Riddle me this Bushala, is the city planning department (any and every city) behind the phenomena I notice driving around OC wherein all the stores along a given street suddenly all start changing their paint and architectural details to this nearly identical color-block Tuscan color scheme?
Yeah, Irvine looks like crap, Santa Ana is the place for me. City planning and design standards, who needs ’em.
Anonster, I have to disagree with you on that. Lots of Santa Ana looks like crap because they have rampant code enforcement failure and an aura of desuetude hangs over much of it.
They also have lots of architecture that is both interesting and historic. Lack of “city planning” is the least of SAs problems (notice that Harrah and Bisno’s monstrosities all went through the city planning process)
BTW, the preference to live in Irvine, is not just an aesthetic choice, it’s a telling psychological option (see comment #1, above).
#4 I think that however you feel about Irvine ( too homogenized, white bread etc..) there is no disputing that it is a well designed, attractive and very livable city. This notion that “Government and good design rarely mix” is patently false. Santa Ana is the poster child for lack of city planning. Yes, we have many old and interesting buildings but the city has lost much of its charm through an “anything goes” attitude. Many older cities have maintained their uniqueness with strict building and design codes (Sante Fe NM comes to mind), such as height and material restrictions (as in no 30 story glass buildings set between 5 story brick and sandstone structures).
Government can make mistakes but most cities do far better with oversight and planning than without.
“the city has lost much of its charm through an “anything goes” attitude.
But lack of land planning wasn’t at the heart of SAs problem and bureaucratic Redevelopment (as an accepted facet of uban planning won’t help do anything to help either.
BTW, “material restrictions” create lousy architecture that is supposed to “respect” existing structures. So in Fullerton, for instance, brick veneer was the material du jour for the redevelopment bureaucrats. They also went in for fake second stories, ceramic tile on facades that made them look like men’s rooms, and a variety of other nonsense that did a lot more harm than good. The design review process cemented in place the low-hurdle aesthetic preferences of the the town’s Babbitry.
By city plan, I meant the aesthetic look of the city, as in; what is the vision for Santa Ana? It’s been the allowance of inappropriately sized and designed buildings in the residential and historic downtown areas that have destroyed appearances and ambiance.
Cheap and shoddy materials never stand up to time. I still think if done right, material and design restrictions can be helpful in maintaining and preserving the aesthetics of a city.
Believe me, I know that cities can have a lot of dolts, making bad decisions but what is the alternative, no standards?