the death of american cities

American cities started to die at the end of the 19th century. Boston is noteworthy because its death (or for those who prefer gentler language: stasis) was largely complete by 1874 when it failed to annex Brookline. The death that we refer to here is not the death of the metropolitan region--for those have continued to grow robustly with population in all parts of the country. The mortality is associated with the  concept  of the city as an imperial system that could manage ALL aspects of its economic and political sphere of influence. Although regional planning can be prone to romanticism, corruption, and stupidity the alternative state that exists in many metropolitan areas is a dismal anarchy. The city of Boston has no authority over much of its critical infrastructure. Transportation systems in particular are administered at the state level, which results in a bureaucracy with less focus than a group of drunken monkeys at an orgy.

SB 827

Jackson finally used the term sprawl--in the context of describing the suburbs of southern California. How appropriate then, that there is much discussion of Senate Bill 827. This proposed bill would scrap nearly all zoning regulations for property near public transit stops. The details are still being hammered out, but towers of ilium predicts that this bill will not pass. Even if it does pass, the effects will take decades to be realized. In that time, thousands of more single-family homes will be built in peripheral locations and traffic congestion will get worse. Except, some of the congestion will be passengerless self-driving cars.

what a time it was

The research staff at towers of ilium has been consumed by a book about the development of the American suburbs. Crabgrass Frontier by Kenneth Jackson is the Ur text when it comes to describing the forces behind residential development in the U.S.

What makes his writing so impressive is that he sets out a definition of "suburb" that is more comprehensive than most architectural critics. His criteria for a suburb are as follows:
-Function: predominantly residential
-Form: owner occupied single family dwellings
-Income: middle and upper class
-Density: lower relative to historical urban settlement

So far, he has not used the term "sprawl."

More on this as reading advances.

isaac newton holds short position

Towers of ilium wisely made no predictions for 2018 about the direction of the stock market. Towers of ilium is beginning to think about tempering its position on the stability of the economy through the course of the year. Odds of a downturn have ticked up a bit. More political mishaps will worsen the situation.

home is where you find it

The difference between formal and casual has essentially disappeared in American home design. A more accurate way of describing the different areas inside a dwelling is needed. Towers of Ilium proposes the terms "Open Spaces" and "Retreat Spaces." There is a subtle distinction between these terms and  the more common phrases "Public" and "Private." An Open Space can serve as a zone that encourages gathering, but it can also be a barrier where business is conducted. A front porch is one example, a kitchen island another. Retreat Spaces can be any room with a door--and the backyard--provided some level of separation can be created.

the deep state

Floodplain development is a typical feature of human settlement patterns. The problem with floodplains is that they flood--but usually not with enough frequency to encourage total abandonment. Climate change is upending certain expectations, but the effects are subtle and slow-moving. One day, Miami will be like Venice, and people will love to go there. The in between period will be hardest to cope with.

not fiction

Almost any person from ten years ago with knowledge of oil production would not have believed the shape of this graph. The surge of tight oil extraction is important for many reasons, but it does not invalidate the general idea of peak oil. Eventually, petroleum will be competing aggressively with energy sources that have no limitations on production--i.e. solar.  Extraction technologies always face harder limits than manufacturing technologies.