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Superstar Cities Are in Trouble
Cities emerged to solve a set of problems that no longer exist. Physical goods are already made and traded elsewhere. Information and intellectual property can now be produced and exchanged online.
Dror Poleg • Dror’s Substack | Substack
The shift to online education, remote work, gaming, live conferencing, and leisure is a new form of agglomeration. A leading indicator, consumers have contributed to the first period of inflation for electronic products in over a decade. Over quarantine, these purchases provided gateways to work, socializing, and play. But if these behaviors become... See more
PM • Memo: On J-Curves and Agglomeration
Remote work is a powerful force. But the centripetal power of the city is stronger. “To defeat the human need for face-to-face contact, our technological marvels would need to defeat millions of years of human evolution that has made us into machines for learning from the people next to us,” Glaeser writes.”21
Ezra Klein • Abundance
Cities are predicated on a set of trade-offs that no longer make sense. Middle-class people tolerate density, pollution, disease, crime, high taxes, and expensive housing to access superior employment opportunities. If comparable opportunities can be accessed without the above costs, many people will opt-out of the current arrangement.
Dror Poleg • Dror’s Substack | Substack
And the "who else" can now be isolated. I don't need to live in a city of 8 million people in order to be close to 5,000-50,000 cool/smart/specialized people that are relevant for me and my work. It is now possible for all of us to live in a much smaller town, enjoy each other, and have access to enough big-city-caliber services to be happy and pro... See more