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Buildings don't last forever. "Ideally, the average lifespan of any concrete structure is 75-100 years. But, it is considered that the average life of an apartm

Buildings don't last forever. "Ideally, the average lifespan of any concrete structure is 75-100 years. But, it is considered that the average life of an apartment is 50-60 years while of a house it is 40 years." [1] Older buildings have been actively maintained. Designing new cities without the cruft of older ones is a huge opportunity. However, it's likely that most building owners will just add couple extra meters of dirt below when it comes time to rebuild a given structure. Even skyscrapers do not last forever. [1] https://www.makaan.com/iq/buy-sell-move-property/what-is-the-average-age-of-a-house https://www.makaan.com/iq/buy-sell-move-property/what-is-the... [2] https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-life-expectancy-of-a-Skyscraper https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-life-expectancy-of-a-Skysc...

PhasmaFelis 8y ago
Moving a city is not as simple as saying "any time a building wears out, rebuild it 100/500/1000 miles away, repeat until finished." At the very least, there's logistical issues and economic disruption at both ends. It may be possible in theory, but, again, extremely challenging and unfathomably expensive. And humanity has a well-established track record with anything that involves committing vast amounts of money now to save a bunch of people, mostly strangers, in a few decades.
- randyrand 8y ago
  Moving to better cities does not require intervention. People will do it naturally over time.
  - PhasmaFelis 8y ago
    Are you now claiming that climate change isn't a big deal because the billions of people whose homes are flooded, or too hot to survive, or otherwise uninhabitable can just...go somewhere else? In today's world, we see (much smaller) groups of people trying to relocate as their homes become intolerably dangerous. The press calls it "the refugee crisis" and it's causing massive tension all over the world. What do you think will happen if the flow of refugees continues increasing, year after year, for decades?
    - randyrand 8y ago
      Yes. That’s pretty much what I said in my first comment. It’s not a huge deal. It’s a moderate deal. Moving cities is not a huge deal. I’ve personally done it 3 times. It’s not a small deal either, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not a mayday scenario. Even my ancestors who made 1/100th the income I do moved multiple times.
      - Oletros 8y ago
        You really dontgey what the problem is. And no, it has nothing to do with income
      - PhasmaFelis 8y ago
        You don't see the difference between you trying to find a new place to live, and you plus 100 million other people trying to find a new place to live all at the same time? I'm starting to think you're just trolling.

PhasmaFelis 8y ago

Moving a city is not as simple as saying "any time a building wears out, rebuild it 100/500/1000 miles away, repeat until finished." At the very least, there's logistical issues and economic disruption at both ends. It may be possible in theory, but, again, extremely challenging and unfathomably expensive. And humanity has a well-established track record with anything that involves committing vast amounts of money now to save a bunch of people, mostly strangers, in a few decades.

randyrand 8y ago
Moving to better cities does not require intervention. People will do it naturally over time.
- PhasmaFelis 8y ago
  Are you now claiming that climate change isn't a big deal because the billions of people whose homes are flooded, or too hot to survive, or otherwise uninhabitable can just...go somewhere else? In today's world, we see (much smaller) groups of people trying to relocate as their homes become intolerably dangerous. The press calls it "the refugee crisis" and it's causing massive tension all over the world. What do you think will happen if the flow of refugees continues increasing, year after year, for decades?
  - randyrand 8y ago
    Yes. That’s pretty much what I said in my first comment. It’s not a huge deal. It’s a moderate deal. Moving cities is not a huge deal. I’ve personally done it 3 times. It’s not a small deal either, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not a mayday scenario. Even my ancestors who made 1/100th the income I do moved multiple times.
    - Oletros 8y ago
      You really dontgey what the problem is. And no, it has nothing to do with income
    - PhasmaFelis 8y ago
      You don't see the difference between you trying to find a new place to live, and you plus 100 million other people trying to find a new place to live all at the same time? I'm starting to think you're just trolling.