Comments on: How Much Longer Will Our Big Cities Last? http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/02/26/how-much-longer-will-our-big-cities-last/ Yesterday's tomorrow, today. Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:40:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Richard C http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/02/26/how-much-longer-will-our-big-cities-last/#comment-1047486 Richard C Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:06:11 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/02/26/how-much-longer-will-our-big-cities-last/#comment-1047486 The author got some things very wrong here. But it's interesting to see what he almost got right. He more-or-less predicted suburban sprawl, and the growth of shopping malls to replace downtown business districts. It wasn't the airplane, but instead the automobile that enabled this. Compared to cars, small airplanes are still too expensive, too difficult to fly, and too susceptible to weather to be a common means of commuting for the masses. And if they ever DID become a really widely adopted means of commuting, the air traffic control issues would become a mess. And infrastructure disasters, while they have continued to happen occasionally, haven't been the main cause of abandoning cities. We've more-or-less been able to replace or repair infrastructure as needed. Nor have the cities been abandoned to the extent predicted; they're just not quite the centers of growth they once were. The author got some things very wrong here. But it’s interesting to see what he almost got right. He more-or-less predicted suburban sprawl, and the growth of shopping malls to replace downtown business districts.

It wasn’t the airplane, but instead the automobile that enabled this. Compared to cars, small airplanes are still too expensive, too difficult to fly, and too susceptible to weather to be a common means of commuting for the masses. And if they ever DID become a really widely adopted means of commuting, the air traffic control issues would become a mess.

And infrastructure disasters, while they have continued to happen occasionally, haven’t been the main cause of abandoning cities. We’ve more-or-less been able to replace or repair infrastructure as needed. Nor have the cities been abandoned to the extent predicted; they’re just not quite the centers of growth they once were.

]]> By: The Unbearded Man http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/02/26/how-much-longer-will-our-big-cities-last/#comment-1047471 The Unbearded Man Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:47:23 +0000 http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/02/26/how-much-longer-will-our-big-cities-last/#comment-1047471 Just discovered your blog here, and wow, this is very helpful for my own research. Cheers! Just discovered your blog here, and wow, this is very helpful for my own research.

Cheers!

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