Proclamations issue from the city government about the urgency of the housing crisis in Northampton. It’s not clear at all what metrics or criteria are being used to define this “crisis,” but this has led to a number of multi-unit developments already built, currently being built, and some very large ones being planned.

There is a downside to this splurge in building, and that has to do with degradation in the quality of life in this small city, particularly with reference to traffic and parking. This is a community with small town roads that are having trouble handling the traffic load that currently exists. The only “big city” roads are King Street and perhaps Main Street.

Even during the summer when the colleges and universities are not in session, the traffic burden on some of our roads is difficult to manage. There is Bridge Road, Damon Road, the dangerous traffic circle at the base of the Coolidge Bridge, Pleasant Street, Conz Street, the traffic circle that joins the two, the intersection of South Street and Main Street, and of course Main Street itself.

The residents of Ward 3 are quite worried about the impact of on-street parking by the large housing project planned in their neighborhood. From what has been made public, the proposed 90-unit housing planned for the Registry of Deeds site has around 25 parking spaces. It is not clear where that overflow parking goes. Of course, downtown parking is already a mess.

Is there somebody in the city government thinking about the impact of this binge of building on how residents experience their day-to-day lives in Northampton?

Well, as it is, there is a plan in place: Picture Main Street. In response to forcing an increased population, we will be eliminating more parking downtown and narrowing the main drag, creating yet more congestion.

Northampton’s gracious 19th century cityscape will be sacrificed to the styles urging on little used bicycle lanes that will offer more chances for pedestrians to be blindsided by the imagined hordes of bicyclists downtown in January going shopping and to restaurants. At the heart of this drive to deconstruct downtown is the presumed reduction in dependence on fossil fuel vehicles as if the increased future use of electric cars is not in the offing.

Supporters of increased housing and the Picture Main Street project talk of revitalizing the city. It is so obviously going to make Northampton much less habitable.

Jay Fleitman lives in Florence.