7.27.2007

IronyWatch: Solar Parking Structure

There is a certain irony to a city trumpeting it's built America's first LEED-certified, solar-powered parking facility for 882 cars, and James Howard Kunstler is just the guy to point it out. Of Santa Monica's "sustainable" parking garage, he writes:
Apparently nobody informed these idiots that happy motoring is not a sustainable activity, and neither is the parking that necessarily attends it. This is apart from the sheer appalling monumental ugliness of the building. The official PR handout is a prime example of how America is blowing green smoke up its own ass.
The release says the solar panels will pay for themselves in 17 years. JHK's reply: "Ground control to Santa Monica: in 17 years the automobile age will be over."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I've driven by this building many times not even knowing what it is. Upon doing a little research, I've discovered that the city has big plans for that Civic Center Area. They also plan to retrofit and replace the six structures in downtown Santa Monica. In other words, more parking was needed somewhere.

I understand the contradiction here, but try telling all the business owners that nobody will have a place to park for a while. Whether we like it or not, most people in LA (especially those with disposable income) drive their own cars. If we HAVE to have a parking structure, it might as well be "green". Besides, haven't you noticed how boring and smelly the downtown lots are?