Salt Lake City loves its neighborhood centers, 9th & 9th and 15th & 15th being the among the most revered. We value those because of the proximity of small urbanity to our homes.
But, the “hostile architecture” outlined in The Tribune’s March 21 article is starting to make an appearance in the commercial properties that abut residential areas and the hostility leaks out. This threatens the enjoyment of our small urban pockets, the enjoyment of our neighborhoods, and our homes. Super bright LED lights and cutting down mature trees are two examples of “anti-sleep” interventions that skirt the letter of Salt Lake City ordinances, while blighting our neighborhoods. Because Salt Lake City’s ordinances don’t have specific light trespass rules, those anti-sleep measures can even impact our own bedrooms -- and the city is unable to step in and help.
We’re cutting off the nose of our public square to spite our face, and the city needs to respond. We need a solution to homelessness that is more humane than “anti-sleep” and disbursement, and we need to block interventions that are designed to make our neighborhoods “hostile.”
Chris Sanger, Salt Lake City
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