Below are excerpts from the blog Inside South America by Tyler Bridges, a journalist based in Caracas
Honduras: Tegucigalpa
I'm supposed to report on South America in this blog. But since I find myself reporting from Tegucigalpa this week, I thought I would extend the blog's boundaries as well.
I find Tegucigalpa to be an unlovely city. The setting is pretty, nestled in the hills. But there seems to have been too much U.S. influence in the city's development.
As with Houston and too many other U.S. cities, Tegucigalpa expanded without planning controls. Most of the downtown colonial buildings have been lost. The central square lacks harmony and is uninteresting, other than the cathedral.
And there are fast-food franchises everywhere: McDonald's, of course, but also Burger King, Popeyes, Subway, Quizmos, Little Caesars, Chili's, TGI Friday's, Applebee's, Dunkin' Donuts, Pizza Hut. There's even a Dunkin' Donuts directly across the street from the Casa Presidencial.
The best thing about Honduras that I've found in my short term here: the people. They are quite friendly.
2 comments:
I agree. But I love the outlying areas such as Santa Lucia, Valle de Angeles, Comayagua, Copan, etc. It's like going to Costa Rica, and using San Jose as an example of what's there to see in CR. Can't do it.
Laurie, I agree with you that the outlying areas are simply beautiful. But the author does express my sentiments about Tegucigalpa itself. It has such potential to be a beautiful city. What a pity that it is being destroyed by poor planning (or no planning), and the loss of its patrimony.
Even though Honduras is a poor country, simple zoning rules would not be expensive to create and enforce. There could be prohibitions on destroying the patrimony including historical buildings in the downtown area. Once all the old colonial buildings are gone, ther're gone.
Also, what about all the visual pollution on Blvd. Morazon? Can't there be restrictions on the height and number of signs. Its seems each fast food franchise is trying to outdo the others by erecting a taller, bigger, and uglier sign.
Simple regulations regarding historical preservation, signs, coupled with enforcement would go a long way to making Tegucigalpa a more inviting place...And, if it were more appealing, maybe, just maybe, more tourists would come, spend money, and boost the economy.
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