HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-28-26 Public Comment - E. Darrow - The anonymous cityFrom:Elizabeth Darrow
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]The anonymous city?
Date:Tuesday, January 27, 2026 6:18:41 PM
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Greetings Mayor Morrison, Deputy Mayor Fischer, Commissioners Madgic,
Sweeney & Bode,
Among the many arguments made to you in opposition to the looming
possibility of increased height added to these generic blocks invading our
city that will impose an anonymous transient identity on our
precious place, we remind you here about what actually creates, fosters
and maintains "community"in the built environment and what does
not.
Irreversible Loss: Once the historic core and Neighborhood
Conservation Overlay Districts (NCOD) are breached by out-of-scale
developments, the visual and cultural continuity is broken. Arguments
for preservation should emphasize that unique "place-making" is a non-
renewable economic asset that generic "density "destroys.
Refute the urbanist ultimatum-a false dichotomy that you must choose
between tall buildings or sprawl. Look around Gallatin County --there
is already endless sprawl and more on the way- but only one historic
core fast dwindling-destroyed with lego-like black and brown cubes
thatonce were houses and structures in scale and history rich with
memory and profound lived experience. The streets in the core fall one
by one sacrificed to out-sized off-ramp design walling off both north
and south side neighborhoods.
Gentle Density / Missing Middle:One can advocate for
density compatible with historic preservation.
The historic core’s infrastructure (narrow streets, aging water/sewer
lines) was not designed for high-rise capacity. "Glutting" this area
strains municipal services disproportionately compared to developing
purpose-built density nodes elsewhere in exurbs.
The "Vertical Isolation" Effect Urbanist models ignore the
"psychological separation" and physical separation that happens in tallmulti-unit buildings.
Too many units- Anonymity: Sociology suggests that as the number of
residents increases, the sense of belonging to a cohesive social group
weakens. High-rises often result in fewer actual friendships than low-
rise buildings because they lack the "visual connection" and
"unintentional everyday contacts" that foster trust.
Reduced Chance Encounters: High-density luxury buildings rely on
elevators and internal corridors, which act as "non-places" where social
interaction is discouraged. Unlike a historic street where you naturally
cross paths with neighbors on porches or sidewalks, high-rise life
creates a "finite and encapsulated world" where residents can live for
years without knowing their neighbors.
Elizabeth Darrow & Jim Walseth