The disappearance of the good city

The comfort and niceties of a well-created city has been slowly disappearing for many years.

A good city with many diverse establishments scattered about, where people can easily move about, where children can play, where jobs and schools are integrated in city life, where small businesses like violinmaking and other workshops are mixed with shops, eateries, small offices, there are plazas where you can sit and talk and watch other people, parks are of fair size and well kept and can be used for playing, entertainment can be found, transport vehicles do not disturb you, architecture is well done, surprises can be found here and there, there is activity most hours of the day, area utilization is fair.

Many well-kept old towns are like this. Many ill-kept old towns are not at all like this. Many new towns are a disgrace and look like fortresses where common rooms are tiny or non-existent, huge office blocks are crowding out everything else, there is nobody there outside working hours, the only establishments are shops and offices, nobody lives there, or often with no children or old people.

The new possibilities and thinking is there – the new urbanity, environmental sustainability, integration, the availability of individual money, well developed theory and good examples of practices.

What do we do? Local planning departments, local regulators of many kinds, local public pressure can change this tendency and give us back the good city. Or must this become a national issue where laws must be enacted?

But you can do all your shopping at the mall outside – or inside – town. It is very efficient! What is the problem really?

The problem is that many – maybe most – people don’t like what is happening. Increasing urbanity is happening all over the world and although our thinking about cities is good, there are some negative – mainly overly commercial – forces at work in too many places.

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