Maybe it was because I was in such an amazing mood generally, but the little touches of urban design that I noticed in Toulouse struck me as quite brilliant. A mediatheque (like a library but with media beyond the biblio) had been recently constructed, in the form of yet another French arc, but its small, adjoined public square in the center of an oversized traffic roundabout had some nice touches. There were a few stores and bakeries and whatnot, but the actual square (circle) had some brilliant little fountains. One a babbling brook running down a ramp and the other popping little jets into the air in whatever happy pattern it chose.
Did it cost a little bit more to put those in and run them daily over and above the cost of a flat concrete courtyard? Yes, probably. Did it put a smile on my face, yes. And really shouldn’t MY happiness be the main concern of municipal governments everywhere?
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