Sigh, or grrr. Originally uploaded by paytonc

As long as people feel that it’s socially acceptable to drive four+ ton, gas-guzzling, pedestrian-slaughtering, road-hogging tank-ettes down city streets, we’re just kidding ourselves in one big sustainability charade. Achieving true sustainability will require deep changes to social, economic, and governmental systems, going far beyond window dressing.

Oh yeah, and this “sustainable site” sits right above a ROW that’s been reserved for future transit — for thirty years now. We the taxpayers, not they the developers who stand to make a fortune off it, will probably end up building the “riverbank” (Carroll Ave.) transit line, and it’ll be decades before it ever makes it onto the capital plans.

As bad as this situation is, at least Chicago isn’t yet building “green parking garages,” as the limousine liberals in Santa Monica are. (On the bright side, I suppose, said garage cost less than $33K per space, including $1.5M in solar panels, which seems in line with costs for “unsustainable” garages elsewhere.)