Narrow streets: They do more with less, but we'd rather allow Padgett to hold the city hostage.

The author Herriges rejects the grand wazoo approach in favor of something more organic, and offers a few interesting alternatives to grandiosity. Bob Caesar and Irv Stumler should read this essay.

They won't, and that's the Sorrow of New Albany (with apologies to Hugo Claus).

Narrow Streets Do More with Less, by Daniel Herriges (Strong Towns)

The same lesson applies to urbanism: In creating a great place, less is often more. The "recipe" for a good urban street is in fact remarkably simple, which is why societies all over the world have been able to replicate it, with some variations, for thousands of years.

This is good news for Strong Towns advocates concerned about the fiscal sustainability of our cities too, because simple design means less money that must be spent to build and maintain our public realm.