TO THE EDITOR:
About 40 years ago I wrote a letter to the Tar Heel, which was printed. It said we should consider making Franklin Street in the vicinity of the University a pedestrian mall and have the cars go underneath as in Freiberg, Germany. People laughed because it would be too expensive.
Now inspired by Jasmin Singh’s article, I realize that Rosemary Street is the perfect place for a pedestrian area. It ends near the Horace Williams House so traffic should not be an issue. The space could be an extension of the campus.
I can imagine a world-class project. A big basin with radio-controlled sailboats and a computer-controlled laser-based fountain in the center. Benches, chairs, picnic tables and statues of Carolina celebrities might surround it. Also there would have to be coffee shops, restaurants and cafés. There could be an art gallery run by the art department and an annex of the Bull’s Head Bookshop.
There might be exhibit spaces for liberal arts, business, law and medicine, as well as sports. Maybe underground there could be a huge parking area.
The whole concept would be costly, but not compared to the cost of one nuclear-tipped minuteman missile — of which we have over a thousand. All we need to do to raise the money is to persuade President Barack Obama and Congress that this would be a better use of taxpayer dollars.
Stephen Shafroth
Professor emeritus
Physics and astronomy
