In various barrios of the city the local government is ripping out the cobblestones along the gutter, replacing them with concrete and leaving giant piles of cobblestones piled up on the sidewalks. Clarin published an article on reports of cobblestone theft. Apparently the going rate is 77 pesos per square meter or about 2-3 pesos per stone. The destination: streets in gated communities. Reading this, the urbanist in me sheds a silent tear, like the stoic Indian of the anti-litter commercials of the 1970s. While walking around Flores the other day I saw a taxi driver stuffing his trunk with cobblestones. I asked him what the city was going to do with these adoquines; "mandan a la mierda" was his response.
2 comments:
They removed the cobblestones here in San Telmo in order to relay the foundation and even them up - then put them back - I believe some areas are protected from modernising - thankfully!
The very first cobblestones of Buenos Aires were in fact the ballast of the cargo ships arriving at the port.
In a certain sense these "adoquines" have some historic value.
It is a pitty they throw them away or, even worse, someone sells them in his own profit, given that they belong to the State.
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