NationStates

Since the Industrial Revolution there has been a massive demographic shift of citizens leaving rural areas to pursue opportunities and lives in the cities and as a result cities have grown, sprawling in urban conglomerates of concrete, steel, humanity, pollution, lights, industry, crime and commerce. Equally the rural agrarian community has shrunk and all but disappeared, towns have closed and rural populations have aged as the younger demographic sought the excitement and vibrancy that cities could offer.

But it is now 2019, technology is such that I can live in a small town of 3000 and jump on a train to get the center of the nearest commercial/industrial complex in an hour. I can sit on my couch and collaborate with colleagues around the world. I can sell on demand products from a facebook page and purchase supplies while I'm hiking through the mountains. If I ever do need to do a face-to-face, transport networks are such that I can do an overnight trip, secure a contract and be back home by lunchtime.

So is it time to de-urbanise? living in smaller rural communities with small organised commercial/manufacturing hubs where needed.
Spreading the dense populations of cities out further through rural landscape would reduce stress, pollution and crime. A return to more rural communities with the added bonus of modern green technology is something I enjoy now

but how about you? is there anything that cities provide that can't be enjoyed while living in an organised thriving rural community?

More investment in mass public transport will help integrate the rural and urban areas better.

No. However, pollution needs to be reduced. Cities are the places where companies are born and stuff is traded. How will giant companies like Google or Amazon prosper in the countryside?

This is a fetish that a lot of people seem to have. It's nonsense.

Urban environments should be transformed to be more green and our architecture should facilitate this in future. Singapore for instance is a controlled environment in addition to being a major city.

https://www.google.com/search?q=singapo ... rc=_&vet=1

Here's some pictures.

This is what a modern city should look like.

Personally, I detest the experience of being in cities. It's not enjoyable, not even a little. My preference and plan with my wife is to have rural acreage where we can have animals and peace. I get why some people like living in cities but I want no part of it.

I don't think everyone flocking out to the countryside would be a good idea, either.

Belgium has lots of rural communities.

1 out of 8 homes in Flanders isn't connect to a sewage system.

Spreading people out would take a hefty infrastructure investment, and I doubt people are willing foot part of the bill for that - especially in the United States.

No we dont need to destroy forests and other natural areas to build cookie cutter housing and strip malls.

Esternial wrote:Belgium has lots of rural communities.

1 out of 8 homes in Flanders isn't connect to a sewage system.

Spreading people out would take a hefty infrastructure investment, and I doubt people are willing foot part of the bill for that - especially in the United States.

Dear Lord --- where do the Flemings shit?

San Lumen wrote:No we dont need to destroy forests and other natural areas to build cookie cutter housing and strip malls.

Suburban neighborhoods are fucking satan.

Genivaria wrote:

San Lumen wrote:No we dont need to destroy forests and other natural areas to build cookie cutter housing and strip malls.

Suburban neighborhoods are fucking satan.

I wouldn't call them Satan but i they are bad idea, ugly and boring

Genivaria wrote:More investment in mass public transport will help integrate the rural and urban areas better.

This is true, we really need better commuter rail at least in the US.
A few cities (DC, NYC) have pretty good, but still limited systems.
But many have none at all.

Novus America wrote:

Genivaria wrote:More investment in mass public transport will help integrate the rural and urban areas better.

This is true, we really need better commuter rail at least in the US.
A few cities (DC, NYC) have pretty good, but still limited systems.
But many have none at all.

We should be investing in public transit overall. discourage use of cars. Stop spending money on ships and planes we dont need and build public transport

Duhon wrote:

Esternial wrote:Belgium has lots of rural communities.

1 out of 8 homes in Flanders isn't connect to a sewage system.

Spreading people out would take a hefty infrastructure investment, and I doubt people are willing foot part of the bill for that - especially in the United States.

Dear Lord --- where do the Flemings shit?

Septic tanks are a thing.

Tbh agrarian distributism would be pretty based! but it's unrealistic. I would prefer to live in the countryside or a small town though, and that's what I plan on doing.

Genivaria wrote:

San Lumen wrote:No we dont need to destroy forests and other natural areas to build cookie cutter housing and strip malls.

Suburban neighborhoods are fucking satan.

I would not say that. Sure postmodern McMansions with nothing nearby are a not good, but suburbs are the only way for many people to afford a house, especially if they have children.

We just need better suburbs. More like the original suburbs really. A focus on affordable homes for the middle class, and many have high population densities anyways.

Yes. Rural living is the bees knees.

Man wasn't made to live on top of each other in tiny boxes, eat overly processed food full of preservatives and shelf stabilizers, and work 6 days a week just to repeat the cycle. Urban living isn't living at all and "Muh GDP!" doesn't matter when you're siphoning the life out of people like vampires.

It isn't a fetish, it's how humans were meant to be. Most of the sheep in here who are going to froth at the mouth about how great urban living is have probably never even visited the neighbor living mere feet from them.

Society should indeed move away from the hypercapitalist, sleek industrial living where faster is inherently "better" and materialism is the singular mark of success.

As little as one acre of land is enough to sustinence farm and actually having neighbors who care about you is something everyone should experience.

Urban environments are only good for generating crime and wage slaves, stealing the literal soul from people. You don't need to be some AnPrim to see we've destroyed ourselves in the pursuit of vain, empty supercapitalism.

Novus America wrote:

Genivaria wrote:Suburban neighborhoods are fucking satan.

I would not say that. Sure postmodern McMansions with nothing nearby are a not good, but suburbs are the only way for many people to afford a house, especially if they have children.

We just need better suburbs. More like the original suburbs really. A focus on affordable homes for the middle class, and many have high population densities anyways.

They should be more transit oriented and no more cookie cutter housing. I prefer city living myself

San Lumen wrote:

Novus America wrote:
This is true, we really need better commuter rail at least in the US.
A few cities (DC, NYC) have pretty good, but still limited systems.
But many have none at all.

We should be investing in public transit overall. discourage use of cars. Stop spending money on ships and planes we dont need and build public transport

We do not have enough planes and ships to meet the massively expanding Chinese forces, though admittedly building weapons to defend against China while giving China hundreds of billions of dollars is silly.

But that is a different matter.

Cars will still be needed, I take a train but I have to drive a short distance to it.
Having trains and busses go to every neighborhood is impractical.

Although there are some negative connotations that came with the industrial revolution, it was overall a force good change in the world. Agrarianism is a failed ideology that has lead to the deaths of millions. The industrial revolution cannot be undone but can be steered in the right direction so it can only have positive affects.

Sagarmatha wrote:Man wasn't made to live on top of each other in tiny boxes, eat overly processed food full of preservatives and shelf stabilizers, and work 6 days a week just to repeat the cycle. Urban living isn't living at all and "Muh GDP!" doesn't matter when you're siphoning the life out of people like vampires.

It isn't a fetish, it's how humans were meant to be. Most of the sheep in here who are going to froth at the mouth about how great urban living is have probably never even visited the neighbor living mere feet from them.

Society should indeed move away from the hypercapitalist, sleek industrial living where faster is inherently "better" and materialism is the singular mark of success.

As little as one acre of land is enough to sustinence farm and actually having neighbors who care about you is something everyone should experience.

Urban environments are only good for generating crime and wage slaves, stealing the literal soul from people. You don't need to be some AnPrim to see we've destroyed ourselves in the pursuit of vain, empty supercapitalism.

Yeah lets cut down every forest and build over every wetland to create cookie cutter housing and strip malls.

Novus America wrote:

San Lumen wrote:We should be investing in public transit overall. discourage use of cars. Stop spending money on ships and planes we dont need and build public transport

We do not have enough planes and ships to meet the massively expanding Chinese forces, though admittedly building weapons to defend against China while giving China hundreds of billions of dollars is silly.

But that is a different matter.

Cars will still be needed, I take a train but I have to drive a short distance to it.
Having trains and busses go to every neighborhood is impractical.

How is having buses in every neighborhood impractical?

San Lumen wrote:No we dont need to destroy forests and other natural areas to build cookie cutter housing and strip malls.

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same,
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

The reason people can't afford anything other than a 500 sq ft apartment or a cookie cutter is literally because money has been devalued. On purpose might I add. Once upon a time, just a few decades ago, you didn't have to struggle to live on a single income with 3+ kids. And prior to that, you were your own income.