Friday, July 14, 2006

Urban Environments and the 21st Century

Urban areas have grown due to the advancement of culture and employment in urban areas supported by shipping and ports. The persistence of cities is a peculiar anomaly. I believe their landscape, makeup, and other properties will change along with society, commerce and industry in the coming decades.

Cities are very dense areas and thusly very highly priced for real estate, and equally undesirable for these crowded and often polluted and chaotic properties. They also have numerous positive properties, such as easy and plentiful access to social elements and products and many people.

Cities were once more reliant on industrial work, but aside from shipping this work has shifted from primarily gathering around a mill to office and tech work, services, and investment class. This attracts a commercial market with more retail operation and some level of boutiqueness.

If industry changes to allow more decentralized or processed construction, industries will likely leave urban areas in favor of regional production and distribution to areas of commerce. Jobs will follow. If commercial production and industrial methodology merge more heavily through technology and infrastructure changes, the industrial factory will leave the city and take even more jobs with it to the inexpensive and idyllic countryside.

As availability of resources and spaceless marketplace and business prove economically superior and a lighter load on infrastructure and individual expense, the importance of a city will diffuse. People were previously drawn to cities because their farms were bought and the city held jobs. Now why will they go?

No comments: