dispatches from TJICistan

http://www.boston.com/news/local/article…

More than 30 years after outlawing big flashing signs… Boston wants to bring back some glitz to parts of town deemed too dark and staid at night.

It’s a good thing we’ve got a single monopolistic authority making aesthetic decisions for everyone.

Saying it wants colorful electronic marquees to create an atmosphere like Times Square in New York, the Boston Redevelopment Authority is planning to amend the city’s zoning code to permit electronic signs that make “bold use of graphics” and create a sense of “animation and motion” and “images that engage the public.”

So, basically, the rationale 30 years ago was “some bureaucrat finds these tacky, so they’re forbidden”, and now the rationale is “some bureaucrat likes these, so they’re encouraged”.

“It will enliven those areas, make it more interesting and unique, in the same way as when you’re in New York City and you go to Times Square,” said Kairos Shen, the BRA’s director of planning,

“More, unique, just like X”.

Someone please hand Kairos Shen a dictionary…and open it up to the word “unique”, in case he’s not skilled in the subtle arts of alphabetical order.

Boston banned flashing signs in the 1970s amid agressive urban renewal efforts including the razing of Scollay Square to create Government Center.

Ah, Government Center. Proof, if you needed it, that urban planners are impeccable in their tastes and plans.

By the way, when Kairos Shen is done with that dictionary, he should give it to Globe writer Matt Viser, so he can look up the correct spelling of “agressive”.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 28th, 2007 at 9:35 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.