how we shape cities, and cities shape us
Amartya Sen used to say about London that "cultures cross like ships in the nights". I think this argument is even more true with social networks; what seems to fade is actually very much alive somewhere, but not in your feed.
Laurent François on Substack
We accept today that the days of startup cities, at least in the West, are over, but I don't think we should. And the societal changes that a post-COVID world makes possible could restart this cycle. For thousands of years, ambitious young people have had to move to big cities run by the kind of people who run big cities to maximize opportunity in... See more
Marc Andreessen • The Dubrovnik Interviews: Marc Andreessen - Interviewed by a Retard
One of the most fascinating things about traveling is seeing how very small cultural preferences are, whether it’s the tendency to be on time, or how words may be understood literally versus contextually. Even though these can seem like small intangible things, they grow and materialise, and eventually crystalize as a city.
Joe Goodwin • Errolson Hugh: The Final Boss of Fashion
The West Village Girl is probably the best example of this sort of zombie formalism, deeply self-obsessed moment. West Village is an NYC neighborhood that serves as a production set for an optimized lifestyle. You can live your entire life within a five-block radius: Pilates, three-drinker dinners, charm bars, espresso martinis, run clubs,... See more
kyla scanlon • The Most Valuable Commodity in the World Is Friction
After all, cities are where people are supposed to have serendipitous encounters—as the writer and critic Jane Jacobs said, “The metropolis provides what otherwise could be given only by traveling; namely, the strange.” By comparison, the cliché goes, people become more atomized the farther they move from urban environments into the clinical, safe,... See more
Allie Conti • We Really Should Hang Out More Often
People who live in large cities have larger egos because at night they can't see the stars
Dylano | Essayfulx.comYou are always internalizing the culture around you. Even when you wish you didn’t. So you better surround yourself with something you want inside—curate a culture.
Henrik Karlsson • First We Shape Our Social Graph; Then It Shapes Us
The bike rides. The sleepovers. Your first cigarette. Gossiping about your latest crush. Being consoled when they break your heart. Discovering a new city. Re-discovering your own (at 2AM). The hungover brunches. The tears. The laughs. The love. So many of the moments that shaped us were shared with friends. And then those moments started happening... See more