Urbanization has led to challenges for traditional city centers as digital economies allow more dispersed workforces. While some predict growth of mega-cities, others argue this will lead to problems and that a future with vibrant smaller cities and suburbs is more likely to emerge. Cities concentrate wealth but also inequality, and very large populations do not always correlate with stronger economies. Developing a distributed model of urban planning may be preferable to focus on mega-cities.
Some facts and pictures about Chicago.
I visited Chicago in summer 2007. It is a beautiful city which I didn't know had a marina as it is on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Chicago has incredible architecture, such as the salient Sears Tower. The biggest city in the Mid-West and indeed between the East and West Coasts. It is a must see!
Some facts and pictures about Chicago.
I visited Chicago in summer 2007. It is a beautiful city which I didn't know had a marina as it is on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Chicago has incredible architecture, such as the salient Sears Tower. The biggest city in the Mid-West and indeed between the East and West Coasts. It is a must see!
The first issue of Stamp, Big City, is all about London. A look at the Westfield empire, inequality in the city, a bit of history, and some stats on how London and the UK measure up to other world cities.
Today, Colombia has the highest number of displaced people in the world after Sudan.
Millions have been forced to flee their homes during decades of fighting between guerrillas, paramilitaries and the army. The conflict started when small farmers were driven off their land by large landowners, creating support for a guerrilla movement.
Through its Peace is Possible campaign, the Colombian Catholic Church is urging its government to provide victims of the conflict with the right to truth, justice and reparations they need and bring about a peaceful solution to this forgotten crisis.
The first issue of Stamp, Big City, is all about London. A look at the Westfield empire, inequality in the city, a bit of history, and some stats on how London and the UK measure up to other world cities.
Today, Colombia has the highest number of displaced people in the world after Sudan.
Millions have been forced to flee their homes during decades of fighting between guerrillas, paramilitaries and the army. The conflict started when small farmers were driven off their land by large landowners, creating support for a guerrilla movement.
Through its Peace is Possible campaign, the Colombian Catholic Church is urging its government to provide victims of the conflict with the right to truth, justice and reparations they need and bring about a peaceful solution to this forgotten crisis.
3. For the first time (really) the monopoly for N Y being the main center for commerce is challenged due to the digital economy and e-commerce. The spread across the country with Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, and the movie industry are still spread out on the west coast and not centralized. If they were centralized in one State, they would take N Y’s autonomy.
4.
5. The cost of energy can mean the difference between a growing economy or a declining economy.
6. Migration flows in the direction of new and growing economies, hence growth and cultural changes in those countries.
7. USA is being challenged with the liberal Democrat policies of the Obama Admin., favoring the Public sector over the Private sector, using the EPA to claim CO2 as a pollutant to charge the public and industry for the “bogus” man made global warming bringing the USA to it's knees.
8.
9. In Canada, John MacDonald (Leader) and the Indians knew how aggressive the Yankees were and feared that they would take the western territories west of lake Superior, which made it easier to persuade the Canadian Indians to take reservations and let Englishmen take control and eventually turn the land into separate territories for Canada.
10. Mounted Police (Mounties) “named from the Irish”, enforced the Indians management in Canada, in the USA it was hardened Army enforcement.
11.
12. It's well known, government never has been efficient, and the school system for the Indians in both USA and Canada ended up with similar results, poor. In the USA less than a quarter of the young Indians attended school regularly. It was assumed that the Indians would assimilate into the white population, that would be wrong.
13. In 1862 the great “Sioux War” ensued in Mankato MN stemming from some young Indians fed alcohol, they ended up killing a family. Very few soldiers in the west but still 38 Indians were hanged, which sparked even more waring Indians throughout.
14.
15. Karaganda was a “prison city” after 1931 that under the Soviet Union was a forced labor camp working the mines, and agriculture. In Billings MT 1880's after the steam engine was invented and the railroad was developed, this changed everything. Supplies and people were able to come in and go out. In Karaganda the railroad came in 1931.
16. Two countries of totally polarized ideologies employed similar grid patterns for an organized community.
17. The Russian Empire ran the indigenous people out, European immigrants did the same in MT. Maj. Gen. Custer shot all the buffalo to discourage the Indians and the Russians drove the nomads to the dessert.
18.
19. In the 2 nd world nations such as Brazil, China, India, & Turkey the “wealth gap” between cities & the country side, in the interest of stability can be dangerous for that nation.
20. The needs of the new cities are, opportunistic codes of conduct, need for efficiency, connectivity, & above all security
22. By 2025 China is expected to have15 super cities of about 25 million pop. Each, but Europe will have NONE!
23. “ Charter Cities” is a planned template to grow a city in order to raise the status of a countries economy from a 3 rd world up to a 2 nd world or possibly a 1 st world economy.
24.
25. The U.N. Projects by 2025 there may be twenty seven cities consisting of twenty six million citizens, but Joel Kotkin doubts that.
26. Joel believes (as I do) that we are headed for a world with vibrant smaller cities, suburbs, & towns instead of everyone trying to live on top of each other with no personal space which breads low health & low creativity.
27. Some of the fastest growing – rising urban areas are Abu Dhabi, Houston, Moscow, & Perth with fossil fuels - “not from art galleries”, the art galleries come after the wealth is created.
28.
29. Larger cities don't always mean wealthier or stronger. Singapore is of around 5 million residents & has a higher GDP than Manila, Cairo, & Lagos. Singapore is easily the cleanest & most efficient city in all of Asia.
30. The World Bank Report (a staunchly Pro-urban doc.) says that as the middle class becomes wealthier they leave the cities for suburbia.
31. The “dispersion” model holds more hope for a developing world, where an alternative to mega cities is an urgent necessity!