Goodbye, and good riddance

Yesterday marks an important event in downtown Tucson: the start of the demolition of the old 4th Avenue underpass. Read about it here: http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/234351

Why is the demolition such a good thing? The old underpass was in terrible shape; additionally it was unsafe for bicyclists and unfriendly for pedestrians. I've heard a few people express the notion that due to its historic status it should have been left untouched, but essentially it was a historic urinal in need of replacement. It's important to keep in mind that "historic" is not necessarily equivalent to "good", and that while it's possible (and sometimes a good thing) to maintain the historic character of a structure, neighborhood, or region, as time goes on and the world around us changes, some of these changes might be beneficial. A good example in Tucson is air conditioning: it's definitely not "historic", but without it, few of us would likely be able to stand living here.

I'm thrilled to see the old underpass go. Yesterday evening, with friends, I climbed down as close to the hard-hat zone as I could get to watch it crumble. We then went to the Tap Room at the Hotel Congress to celebrate this exciting progress.