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> With cheap energy we are not constrained to ever denser mega cities with their social, political, and safety problems. Mega cities may show to be a huge engi

> With cheap energy we are not constrained to ever denser mega cities with their social, political, and safety problems. Mega cities may show to be a huge engine for innovation. People accumulate on cities for a reason. Productivity grows as more people interacts and share ideas. Cities are safe, diverse, places where you do not depend on the judgement of a small set of popular people in your community. My father family comes from a small town where everybody knows everybody, it is an oppressive feeling with consequences for anyone that does not conform to the prevailing mindset. Mid/small size cities (1-3 million) seems a good size for me. So, I also share part of your feelings. I could not live in a small town thou, it is not for me.

jansan 6y ago
>Cities are safe, This may be up for discussion, and the unsafest places usually happen to be parts of large cities. >Mid/small size cities (1-3 million) Really? Where are you from, that those cities are considered small/mid size?
- nl 6y ago
  One of the big issues when talking about "city size" is the definition of city. When people outside the US talk about "San Francisco" they mean the 9 county San Francisco Bay Area[1] (pop: nearly 7m), and almost never the City of San Francisco[2] (pop: nearly 900K). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay_Area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay_Area [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco
  - Hokusai 6y ago
    You are right. Metropolitan area makes more sense. There are administrative reasons for a metropolitan area to be subdivided in cities or towns but effectively it acts as just one city. I was thinking about Paris (city 2 million, metro 12.5 million) or Barcelona (city 1.6 million, metro 5.5 million). Similar to your example.
- mymythisisthis 6y ago
  Cities are also layers of people. You'll find, many times, that some of the wealthiest neighbourhoods are a 5 minute walk from some of the poorest. But, the people will never interact. So safety stats about cities are misleading.
choeger 6y ago
It is obvious that large cities exist for a reason. But it is also obvious that some people can cope with their limitations much better than others. Think of young, able, independent, wealthy adults vs. families, for instance. Families in general do much better in smaller communities, because they offer more space and less traffic (up to a point, though because schools etc. should preferably be in walking distance). That being said, cities might offer communities thag provide for special needs whereas towns and villages tend to be more streamlined. Living with kids is such a streamlined thing.
- howlgarnish 6y ago
  "Cope with their limitations"? Many people actively enjoy living in busy cities, and I would not voluntarily move to a place that's not Alpha- or higher on this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization_and_World_Cities_Research_Network https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization_and_World_Cities...
  - segfaultbuserr 6y ago
    Choeger meant that some people are more comfortable living in a busy city than others (alternatively, some people cope with the side-effects of busy cities better than others), choeger didn't deny that cities are advantageous for certain activities and people. I think it's just a semantic issue and there's no real disagreement here.
  - StanislavPetrov 6y ago
    And many people despise living in cities! As a New Yorker who worked in NYC for many years, I would not voluntarily move to any city for any reason.
- mymythisisthis 6y ago
  The case can be made that cities produce well rounded children, that mature faster. Cities expose children to all sorts situations, and people, that they learn to handle. Children in cities are also more independent able to go on the bus, bicycle to where every they want. There are more resources for children, such as museums, pools. It's harder to raise a child in a small city. You always have to drive them somewhere, and become a hoovering babysitter. They can't see their friends, unless driven. They are bussed to school, and home. Meaning that they don't get extra-curricular activities. Some studies, however, have shown that medium sized cities are best. 50K people, because a child will get special attention from a teacher/mentor. Many good athletes come from medium sized cities. But, it may be hard for some kids to find a teacher that holds their interest. For example a kid that likes astronomy.
paganel 6y ago
> social, political, and safety problems. What are those "social" and "political" problems associated with cities?
- choeger 6y ago
  Social: Housing, for instance. Political: The inability to execute policies due to the sheer inertia of the city.

jansan 6y ago

>Cities are safe, This may be up for discussion, and the unsafest places usually happen to be parts of large cities. >Mid/small size cities (1-3 million) Really? Where are you from, that those cities are considered small/mid size?

nl 6y ago
One of the big issues when talking about "city size" is the definition of city. When people outside the US talk about "San Francisco" they mean the 9 county San Francisco Bay Area[1] (pop: nearly 7m), and almost never the City of San Francisco[2] (pop: nearly 900K). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay_Area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay_Area [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco
- Hokusai 6y ago
  You are right. Metropolitan area makes more sense. There are administrative reasons for a metropolitan area to be subdivided in cities or towns but effectively it acts as just one city. I was thinking about Paris (city 2 million, metro 12.5 million) or Barcelona (city 1.6 million, metro 5.5 million). Similar to your example.
mymythisisthis 6y ago
Cities are also layers of people. You'll find, many times, that some of the wealthiest neighbourhoods are a 5 minute walk from some of the poorest. But, the people will never interact. So safety stats about cities are misleading.

choeger 6y ago

It is obvious that large cities exist for a reason. But it is also obvious that some people can cope with their limitations much better than others. Think of young, able, independent, wealthy adults vs. families, for instance. Families in general do much better in smaller communities, because they offer more space and less traffic (up to a point, though because schools etc. should preferably be in walking distance). That being said, cities might offer communities thag provide for special needs whereas towns and villages tend to be more streamlined. Living with kids is such a streamlined thing.

howlgarnish 6y ago
"Cope with their limitations"? Many people actively enjoy living in busy cities, and I would not voluntarily move to a place that's not Alpha- or higher on this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization_and_World_Cities_Research_Network https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization_and_World_Cities...
- segfaultbuserr 6y ago
  Choeger meant that some people are more comfortable living in a busy city than others (alternatively, some people cope with the side-effects of busy cities better than others), choeger didn't deny that cities are advantageous for certain activities and people. I think it's just a semantic issue and there's no real disagreement here.
- StanislavPetrov 6y ago
  And many people despise living in cities! As a New Yorker who worked in NYC for many years, I would not voluntarily move to any city for any reason.
mymythisisthis 6y ago
The case can be made that cities produce well rounded children, that mature faster. Cities expose children to all sorts situations, and people, that they learn to handle. Children in cities are also more independent able to go on the bus, bicycle to where every they want. There are more resources for children, such as museums, pools. It's harder to raise a child in a small city. You always have to drive them somewhere, and become a hoovering babysitter. They can't see their friends, unless driven. They are bussed to school, and home. Meaning that they don't get extra-curricular activities. Some studies, however, have shown that medium sized cities are best. 50K people, because a child will get special attention from a teacher/mentor. Many good athletes come from medium sized cities. But, it may be hard for some kids to find a teacher that holds their interest. For example a kid that likes astronomy.

paganel 6y ago

> social, political, and safety problems. What are those "social" and "political" problems associated with cities?

choeger 6y ago
Social: Housing, for instance. Political: The inability to execute policies due to the sheer inertia of the city.