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Centrally planned cities are invariably poor On this I disagree, people think they know what they want, but it's not necessarily what they need - consider the
by HarryHirsch 8y ago
Centrally planned cities are invariably poor
On this I disagree, people think they know what they want, but it's not necessarily what they need - consider the usual over-55 development, which is car-centric, doesn't have sidewalks or supermarkets and community centers within walking distance, and not nearly enough medical facilities nearby. Good if you are a healthy 55-year-old, but there'll be much pain in the future when the owner's health is failing 25 years later. The golf course doesn't make up for the fact that you can't get anywhere from your home!
The developer has a conflict of interest, their interest is to sell, the long-term viability of the development or the well-being of the owners is not on their radar. Something needs to provide a counterweight here.
- jaredklewis 8y agoYou say you disagree, but what real world planned cities do you think came out well? I think we probably generally agree on what might make a good city, but that's just theory, and my objection to planned cities has nothing to do with theory and everything to do with their empirical track record. I've heard no shortage of fascinating ideas for how cities could be planned and arranged, but whenever someone actually does plan out a city, like the examples I listed in my previous post or those in China or New Delphi, or wherever, it totally sucks.
- HarryHirsch 8y agoIn Lisbon Salazar's architects did a good job. See my comment from three weeks ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17588010 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17588010