So I couldn't resist shooting a few quick shots of that phenomenon today when I was out Waukesha way, where subdivisions abound on former farmland and dairies are closing:
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
What's In A Name, Exurban Waukesha County?
Former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist noted when showing his infamous slide show/power point about cities, development and sprawl that things get named for what's no longer there after paving and bulldozing in the name of progress.
So I couldn't resist shooting a few quick shots of that phenomenon today when I was out Waukesha way, where subdivisions abound on former farmland and dairies are closing:
So I couldn't resist shooting a few quick shots of that phenomenon today when I was out Waukesha way, where subdivisions abound on former farmland and dairies are closing:
I miss Norquist. Much as I like Barrett, John was one of the best mayors Milwaukee has had, and his partnership with Peter Park changed the trajectory of Milwaukee development in innumerable ways, for the better.
ReplyDeleteI used to work at a summer camp in Ozaukee County. They'd bring urban kids there who'd get to see the Milky Way for the first time ever. Now the camp is enveloped in the same orange glow as Chicago. Thanks, Scooter. Thanks a whole frikkin' lot.
ReplyDeleteDairy Lane . . . . how picturesque. Milkmaids, and cows. . . and cowbells. Where are the cow pies? Whither the eye-watering stench of bovine urine ponds? Paint-peeling odors of Spring spreading nearly visible in the air? Imagine it all trickling down into the ground, through the topsoil, into the cracks in bedrock, into your wells, rivulets becoming streams, streams flowing into rivers, rivers into lakes. Now let's take a swim, drink a glass of water. Brought to you by the Dairy INDUSTRY of Wisconsin. Not family farms, factories.
ReplyDeleteNothing like the great named streets of Milwaukee such as Chambers Street, or Grant Ave. It's hard to miss the irony that those streets were also built on former farms. What is more ironic is the entire city is paved with concrete and does not allow rainwater to percolate into the ground. Instead rain flushes oil, road salt, and chemicals polluting the streets to the combined sewers where it mixes with raw sewage, and is finally dumped into beautiful Lake Michigan every so often. All this while they think people will take seriously the fresh water capital nonsense.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised the post is not applauding the reduced burden on the aquifer (vs a farm) and eco friendly energy efficient construction. Look at those beautiful windows, these are homes much greener than the average drafty Milwaukee home.