Ignorant citizens of this town have decided to destroy their last little island of beauty and to surrender to the monster automobile. When I see the destruction of Willamette Street in downtown, and especially when I see those beautiful trees cut-down, my heart starts bleeding. And I understand very clearly what kind of mentality prevails in today's America. In all honestly, I am not very optimistic about the people's common sense here. In Europe we don't have yet such ugly and soulless shopping malls, located on outskirts of cities, with huge parking lots around, like here.
People go downtown for shopping, for entertainment, and for social life.
So, city centers in Europe are full of life all day long and even at night. People can stroll on a vast network of pedestrian streets, lined with a variety of stores and cafes. What is most important is that many people use public transport instead of driving to get there from the suburbs. People haven't yet become a slaves of the automobile like Americans. That, in my opinion, is the most important factor in why the quality of life in Europe is still much better than here in the United States.