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Bhutan sounds cute, but I wonder what the reality is. The city sounds like another one of these globalist smart city projects like Neom in Saudi Arabia, or Rwan

Bhutan sounds cute, but I wonder what the reality is. The city sounds like another one of these globalist smart city projects like Neom in Saudi Arabia, or Rwanda's African showpiece. I'm sure said city will have cameras on every corner, and probably 15 minute city aspects.

JSR_FDED 11mo ago
Weird comparison. Neom doesn’t exist, whereas Bhutan has been around for centuries. It’s a unique place, not just an idea. Friendly people and a government that looks at more than GDP as a success metric.
- sg5421 11mo ago
  I think he refers to Gelephu Mindfulness City. I read it differently, not as a generic globalist city but very much a middle ground between Bhutanese culture (deep Buddhist presence, it will maintain vernacular architectures codes throughout, no skyscrapers) and global capital attractiveness (special economic zone, some tax benefits but not a tax haven in any way, crypto adoption, etc.)
- nephihaha 11mo ago
  I didn't mean Bhutan in general. I was referring to Bhutan's new city project. It seems similar to new cities elsewhere, maybe even Auroville (or whatever it is called). Singapore is great in some ways, not so much in others. (It is arguable how democratic Singapore is, since its parliament has a lot of hereditary politicians in it, like Thailand or Greece.) Bhutan has sold itself as a Shangri La for decades. Whether it is, is another problem. It seems all over the world the peasants are being herded into urban panopticons.
softskunk 11mo ago
what’s wrong with a 15-minute city?
- fragmede 11mo ago
  You can't imagine how insufferably smug everyone who lived there would be? Living lives all happy and nice and not horrible? Gosh, what a terrible place it must be! How much was rent again?
  - nephihaha 11mo ago
    It depends whether your happiness relies on someone else micromanaging every step of your life. Mine doesn't. Maybe yours does.
  - greenavocado 11mo ago
    Everything's fine until the government enforced lockdowns start
- nephihaha 11mo ago
  The 15 minute city is sold as a place with amenities within easy. The reality will end up being forced to live within a small area in some kind of gated community with a curfew. Besides which, where are these amenities nowadays? Small businesses were decimated by discriminatory lockdown enforcement. Physical libraries and community centres are being shut. As are bars and cafes. If there was a real 15 minute city, it's in the past. The internet is no substitute for in person interaction.
  - saagarjha 11mo ago
    Why would there be lockdowns?
    - nephihaha 11mo ago
      Disease, the environment, riots, the economy etc etc. So many potential excuses.
  - iron_albatross 11mo ago
    I’d argue that any sufficiently dense city is naturally a 15 minute city, and tens of millions of people (including myself) live in them. For example: in New York, Tokyo, London etc. one can feasibly access all the amenities they need within a “15-minute walk, bike ride, or public transit ride”. The key thing is that these cities developed this way organically. There is nothing stopping me leaving my 15 minute radius if I want to, and I regularly do.

JSR_FDED 11mo ago

Weird comparison. Neom doesn’t exist, whereas Bhutan has been around for centuries. It’s a unique place, not just an idea. Friendly people and a government that looks at more than GDP as a success metric.

sg5421 11mo ago
I think he refers to Gelephu Mindfulness City. I read it differently, not as a generic globalist city but very much a middle ground between Bhutanese culture (deep Buddhist presence, it will maintain vernacular architectures codes throughout, no skyscrapers) and global capital attractiveness (special economic zone, some tax benefits but not a tax haven in any way, crypto adoption, etc.)
nephihaha 11mo ago
I didn't mean Bhutan in general. I was referring to Bhutan's new city project. It seems similar to new cities elsewhere, maybe even Auroville (or whatever it is called). Singapore is great in some ways, not so much in others. (It is arguable how democratic Singapore is, since its parliament has a lot of hereditary politicians in it, like Thailand or Greece.) Bhutan has sold itself as a Shangri La for decades. Whether it is, is another problem. It seems all over the world the peasants are being herded into urban panopticons.

softskunk 11mo ago

what’s wrong with a 15-minute city?

fragmede 11mo ago
You can't imagine how insufferably smug everyone who lived there would be? Living lives all happy and nice and not horrible? Gosh, what a terrible place it must be! How much was rent again?
- nephihaha 11mo ago
  It depends whether your happiness relies on someone else micromanaging every step of your life. Mine doesn't. Maybe yours does.
- greenavocado 11mo ago
  Everything's fine until the government enforced lockdowns start
nephihaha 11mo ago
The 15 minute city is sold as a place with amenities within easy. The reality will end up being forced to live within a small area in some kind of gated community with a curfew. Besides which, where are these amenities nowadays? Small businesses were decimated by discriminatory lockdown enforcement. Physical libraries and community centres are being shut. As are bars and cafes. If there was a real 15 minute city, it's in the past. The internet is no substitute for in person interaction.
- saagarjha 11mo ago
  Why would there be lockdowns?
  - nephihaha 11mo ago
    Disease, the environment, riots, the economy etc etc. So many potential excuses.
- iron_albatross 11mo ago
  I’d argue that any sufficiently dense city is naturally a 15 minute city, and tens of millions of people (including myself) live in them. For example: in New York, Tokyo, London etc. one can feasibly access all the amenities they need within a “15-minute walk, bike ride, or public transit ride”. The key thing is that these cities developed this way organically. There is nothing stopping me leaving my 15 minute radius if I want to, and I regularly do.