Above illustrations by Gemini AI

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Much of commercial Van Nuys is in the worst condition of its 115-year-old history. There are empty stores, enormous parking lots with no cars, and trash camping everywhere.

What could replace all this and what kind of architecture would protect us from hot sun and occasional rain? The answer might come from Southern Europe.

Last year I spent five days in Turin, Italy, a metropolitan city of 841,600 in the NW of the country.

It has remarkable architecture, which was mostly built in the 18th and 19th Century by the Savoy Family in a unified, Neo-classical style.

The city has a series of arcades and long, shaded passageways, that protect from rain and sun. The arches along the ground floor provide a unifying effect that harmonizes all the buildings and anoints the urban environment with a regal and practical building style.

There are numerous courtyards, public and semi-private, which are encased by three and four story buildings.

Here are some photos I took in October 2024: