An interesting in depth look at what the world may look like in 2050 as more and more people live in cities as opposed to rural environments.
We don’t build a city and towns with city centres any more you add city centres afterwards as an aesthetic afterthought or as a consumption opportunity. We simply have a collage or pastiche of almost random urban spread which ultimately collides and creates cities and then we start adding the trappings of conventional cities.
I guess this goes well with C-Ville thinking it is the center of the world, and getting really excited over the 30th anniversary of the main attraction of town…the downtown mall. If the heat isn’t unbearable, I’ll get some great pictures of parents holding cigs next to their kids during the kids day celebration - the highlight of the 30th anniversary.
“Consumption opportunity”–great description. I find it sad and pathetic that the vision that has gripped development in America for the past 30 years is strip malls and housing developments. Can you name a new *town* any where? I can’t. We continually hear pundits criticizing US dependence on foreign oil, the demise of community and values in America, and the large girth of our citizens. Well, when life becomes a constant drive in an SUV between home, work, and strip malls, where does that leaves us? Look at the popularity of downtown Charlottesville. You would think a developer would look at this and conclude that building new town centers all over with mixed use would bring in lots of $$$$. Perhaps the return on strip malls with big fat roads (and no sidewalks and bike lanes) leading to housing developments really is a lot more. Or perhaps developers really have poor vision.
Doc, you’re going to be like so totally dead by 2050 that it won’t have much impact on you, unless, of course, you decide to skip out on cremation and they happen to bury your sad dead ass in a spot that later gets “rezoned.”
Meanwhile, c’mon, you know the cig smoking braniacs from the Academical Village will, after they tire of their fraternity and sorority drinking games and date rapes and what not, will grow up to solve this sprawl problem.
I mean we’re talking about the best and brightest Virginians from the greatest public university in the cosmos located in the best place to live in the solar system.
Relax. The flip flop trust fund kids have it covered.