I suggested yesterday that people will gradually move away from cities. Alistair countered that cities provide cultural advantages to proximity to culture.
So there is a distinction to make here. It comes down to why you want to be near a city.
Commuting in five times a week for a 9 to 5 job is one thing. Going to the city on a Saturday evening to meet friends for a concert and great restaurant experience is something else entirely.
If you assume that a city exists not as a place for everyone to work, but as a cultural resource, that changes how you organize the city and its surroundings. It would still make sense for people in service and entertainment industries, such as restauranteurs and actors, to live within the city itself.
But for everyone else, transportation to and from the city would not focus on a daily commute, but rather on after hours travel to and from the city once or twice a week.
If we start with this general model, I wonder what future cities would look like.
It is very interesting to see you exploring this Ken. In the past you’ve written so often and enthusiastically about all you got from living in the midst of the energy of NYC. I guess priorities change! Certainly the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic are forcing/enabling a lot of revaluation.