cities

TRX
June 13, 2013
77:
> How shall we save New York? And
> London, and Shanghai?

In all seriousness, do we really need to?

Cities were a solution for maintaining a culture in pre-technological times. Modern transportation and communications eliminate almost all of the justifications for cities to exist.

Meanwhile, the rates of crime, mental illness, and physical illness say that cities are unhealthy places to live.

TRX
June 13, 2013
82:
@79:
Why, then are people still flocking into cities?
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Given the numbers, I don't think there's any notable demographic moving TO the cities. Certainly, the urbanites wail enough about the hated suburbanites. It looks more like the increase is mostly due to the city dwellers breeding like rabbits.

TRX
June 15, 2013
92:
@59:
the collapse of Detroit
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You might find the story of Gary, Indiana interesting. Gary was wealthy, fast- growing, and cosmopolitan... then it collapsed with the fall of the US steel industry since, basically, it was a company town.

Gary had grown so rapidly that few of the people who lived there in its heyday were actually *from* there. Consequently, it was often used for the "legend" or cover identity of Soviet agents operating in the USA.

Gary's decline was so rapid that it missed some of the troubles Detroit had.

Russia is littered with cities similar to Gary or Detroit, established by the Soviets as, basically, single-purpose company towns.