Uber arrives in Europe and the cab drivers are pissed. Be careful when you let your kid piss all over our public parks. And Donald Trump has gotten himself into a pissing match with critics over his new building in Chicago. It's (a not totally urine-themed) What's Ruining Our Cities This Week!
Taxi strikes are ruining London (actually, ahem, Uber)
Londontown was brought to a standstill this week as cabbies protested the arrival of rideshare app Uber by turning Trafalgar Square into a parking lot. Namely the cab drivers are protesting due to the incredible amount of training they must undergo to get licensed in the city: a rigorous program called The Knowledge which could last from four to seven years. The app, they say, will take that investment as well as their hard-earned business away. It's not just London that's rolling out the red carpet for Uber; similar protests happened throughout Europe. [BBC]
Child urination is ruining Brooklyn
It's summertime when we can kick off our shoes, hike up our skirts, and let our inhibitions run free! Not according to writer Gabriel Roth who let his three-year-old pee in a public park and was promptly busted by a local cop, who repeatedly told them it was illegal. Yes, a police car was staking out a preschool picnic, looking for hardened criminal toddlers. Roth and his daughter got off with a warning but I'd say there's a lesson learned here for parents: It's probably worth risking wet pants to make it to a bathroom if you have any prior arrests? [The Awl]
Donald Trump is ruining Chicago
A few years back Chicago got its very own Trump Tower, and now The Donald has placed his final flourish on the 96-story skyscraper: Construction is almost finished on the word TRUMP, spelled out in 20-foot sparkly letters (which will be illuminated with LEDs at night!). No one seems to like it, not Mayor Rahm Emanuel, not even the architect, Adrian Smith. Trump has defended himself vigorously on social media, tweeting that the sign is both "magnificent and popular," and telling this to Chicago critic Blair Kamin: "As time passes, it'll be like the Hollywood sign." [HuffPo]
Photo by Sang Tan/AP