4 ms·

I agree all points regarding de-regulation, but not sure about the productivity = f(density) argument. Maybe it mattered in the past but outside of industrial a

I agree all points regarding de-regulation, but not sure about the productivity = f(density) argument. Maybe it mattered in the past but outside of industrial areas, cities have no real reason to exist any longer. The entire downtown area of most cities is largely obsolete at this point as virtually everyone can work from home. I think smallish, super nice, resort-like, walkable towns make more sense now. Note that I'm not suggesting cities are bad or people should not like them. It is merely that people will begin living where they want to live vs where they have to - a good thing imo. I think that this will most likely re-shape things over time.

jltsiren 4y ago
According to the latest estimates I have seen from around Europe, working from home means 10-15% reduction in public transport usage from 2019 levels. While working from home is possible, most people continue commuting to work. Some jobs cannot be done remotely. In some jobs, people are less productive when working from home. And some people want to go to the workplace, perhaps to get away from home or to meet other people.
- osigurdson 4y ago
  >> Some jobs cannot be done remotely Yes, but virtually all downtown jobs can be done remotely.
  - jltsiren 4y ago
    I'm not sure what is your idea of downtown and downtown jobs. But when I think of a downtown, I think of services like museums, theaters, restaurants, hotels, and healthcare centers where physical presence is the key. I think of places where people come to have smaller events and meetings. And I think of office jobs that deal with confidential matters and cannot be done in places outsiders (like your spouse and kids) have access.
    - osigurdson 4y ago
      I mostly think of downtown jobs as white collar professional type work (accountants, engineers, lawyers, etc.). Restaurants and hotels exist to support these workers (and their visitors of course). Museums and healthcare centers don't strictly need to be downtown but it is fine if they are. I suppose there are some jobs that deal with extremely confidential information (where all work is done in a air gapped environment) but those have to be very rare. Since the white collar jobs can be done from anywhere, my thesis is that downtowns don't strictly need to exist. Maybe that is a bad thing and we should try to keep downtowns more vibrant via artificial means (change taxation, etc.) but it is always more difficult when unsupported by economics.
      - jltsiren 4y ago
        That explains things. From my perspective, downtown is the central part of the city rather than an office desert. Roughly speaking, 25% of people prefer urban living, 50% prefer suburban living, and 25% prefer rural living. The numbers vary a bit from place to place and time to time, but the general idea is like that. 25% of the population is a huge number of people that need a lot of services. Downtown is the most accessible part of the city for those who travel by foot and public transport. That makes it the ideal location for services that people who live in an urban area use occasionally. Some services, such as theaters and museums, prefer downtown locations, because their audience consists mostly of tourists and people who live in urban areas. And some services prefer to locate near the edge of the downtown, as they serve both urban and suburban people.

jltsiren 4y ago

According to the latest estimates I have seen from around Europe, working from home means 10-15% reduction in public transport usage from 2019 levels. While working from home is possible, most people continue commuting to work. Some jobs cannot be done remotely. In some jobs, people are less productive when working from home. And some people want to go to the workplace, perhaps to get away from home or to meet other people.

osigurdson 4y ago
>> Some jobs cannot be done remotely Yes, but virtually all downtown jobs can be done remotely.
- jltsiren 4y ago
  I'm not sure what is your idea of downtown and downtown jobs. But when I think of a downtown, I think of services like museums, theaters, restaurants, hotels, and healthcare centers where physical presence is the key. I think of places where people come to have smaller events and meetings. And I think of office jobs that deal with confidential matters and cannot be done in places outsiders (like your spouse and kids) have access.
  - osigurdson 4y ago
    I mostly think of downtown jobs as white collar professional type work (accountants, engineers, lawyers, etc.). Restaurants and hotels exist to support these workers (and their visitors of course). Museums and healthcare centers don't strictly need to be downtown but it is fine if they are. I suppose there are some jobs that deal with extremely confidential information (where all work is done in a air gapped environment) but those have to be very rare. Since the white collar jobs can be done from anywhere, my thesis is that downtowns don't strictly need to exist. Maybe that is a bad thing and we should try to keep downtowns more vibrant via artificial means (change taxation, etc.) but it is always more difficult when unsupported by economics.
    - jltsiren 4y ago
      That explains things. From my perspective, downtown is the central part of the city rather than an office desert. Roughly speaking, 25% of people prefer urban living, 50% prefer suburban living, and 25% prefer rural living. The numbers vary a bit from place to place and time to time, but the general idea is like that. 25% of the population is a huge number of people that need a lot of services. Downtown is the most accessible part of the city for those who travel by foot and public transport. That makes it the ideal location for services that people who live in an urban area use occasionally. Some services, such as theaters and museums, prefer downtown locations, because their audience consists mostly of tourists and people who live in urban areas. And some services prefer to locate near the edge of the downtown, as they serve both urban and suburban people.