Streetside

“Topshop is not as cheap as H & M, but it is fantastic visually and the store looks fun,” said Fern Penn, a SoHo retailer who, driven back by the streetside chaos, said she would return after the initial hubbub had died down.

Cheng had to pull the building back to be able to plant trees close to the property line, because of the maze of utility lines at streetside.

In Japan, automobile owners must obtain a shako shomei sho, or “garage certificate,” showing that they have secured a place to store the vehicle overnight at their residence or in a parking garage; leaving it streetside is not an option. The expense and hassle of that requirement acts as a deterrent to car ownership, and an inducement to travel by other modes like transit or a bicycle.