Quality over Quantity

For decades there was one thing that set Americans apart from Europeans, the firm belief that bigger is better,  and more of something for less is the biggest goal of all. 

This gave us McDonalds, Walmart, gas guzzlers, McMansions and Coors Light. And, of course: Sprawl. 

Now the trend is turning. Americans cherish micro apartments, craft beers, cities, stone hearth baked bread and restaurant meals sourced from community farms. We ask ourselves: do we have to fly to Heidelberg or Barcelona to see a neat city? Couldn't we have them right here at home?

The SUN called the old paradigm  "the McDonalds Trap" in a recent editorial and expanded the metaphor to the local planning  of Baltimore County, solidly grounded in the thinking of the last century. 

It must be noted, that Baltimore City with its smaller homes, compact ways and excellent parks is no longer just the place people flee for the county. It is now a place attracting the young generation that the County desperately needs to stay healthy. 

Klaus Philipsen, FAIA

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-baltco-budget-20150419-story.html