Rant on Urban Sprawl

I'm tired of the ceaseless development that turns historical areas into nothing more than cookie-cutter houses, strip malls, big box stores, and drive-thru Rite-aids. I am tired of the loss of agricultural land to $300,000 McMansions that fall apart just outside of the warranty period (like everything else these days).

In a town a few miles down the road, they tore down a 100-year old building that was full of rich character and old architectural details (and was in good shape and maintained well, not abandoned and condemned) for a drive-thru Rite-aid.

It was on the historic register, how did they get past that?

There is talk in another town of tearing down the old youth hostel (that's in the process of being fully restored, although it's in good shape already) that is the oldest *functioning* youth hostel in the entire country. Why do they want to tear it down? Because they could put *another* gas station there.

Both of these buildings were beautiful, solid stone (think 2' deep walls) structures that aren't built anymore. There was nothing structurally (or even aesthetically) wrong with either of them.

I look around this place anymore and just get disgusted.... It's just another way we continually and greedily gobble everything up in sight calling it "progress" and "development" and all hail the mighty economical dollar!

And then I get scared....where will it all stop? When will it?

I'm thinking it won't, ever. And that's rather depressing and overwhelming because at some point, our rampant consuming will consume even us.