> So where did all the awnings go? Two simple words... air conditioning.
I can't help but think this is too bad.
and also shade trees.
I see housing developments where the trees are all cut down, the houses go up, and... they plant trees.
I think of that saying: "A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit."
and I would take it one step further...
Don't cut down the trees, build the houses around them! For shade, and beauty.