Economics

Buenos Aires Tango Star Wins Fight to Bring Back Cobblestone Streets

Her lawsuit exposes deep divisions in Argentina.

A traditional cobblestone street in the San Telmo neighborhood in Buenos Aires.

Photographer: Sarah Pabst/Bloomberg
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The cobblestone streets of Buenos Aires have charm and potholes in equal measure. They’re as much a part of the city’s faded fabric as French balconies and bidets, but a threat to pedestrians, cars and commerce.

Now, a showdown between a preservationist tango singer and a paving-bent government has Argentines arguing over the costs and benefits of its Old World heritage.