The dawning of suburbia

Could it be that we have it all wrong? It seems trends that have developed in our society don’t often reverse themselves, they just continue to evolve. Link The suburbs spread out in the 50’s and with super highways to commute to our jobs we had a quasi country home and the means to pay for it. As this sprawl continued to widen and as more and more commuters were sharing the highways the morning commute quickly became a nightmare and we found ourselves trapped in our idyllic lifestyle. Today, the size of the suburbs, the state of our infrastructure and the general frantic pace of our society has pushed the whole system to the breaking point. The cost to provide highways to our cities might shock some people. For a basic two lane road the costs run about $10,000/mile, to widen and improve a superhighway …$20,000,000/mile. Yes that’s 20 million per mile. Given these costs, it will come as no surprise this trend cannot continue. Originally the thinking was the population would have to move closer to cities and some utopic ideas were floated around regarding super green high-rises for everyone to live complete with self generated spring water and organic gardens on every terrace. A mixture of the Jetsons with Ma & Pa Kettle. This idea is quickly fading as crime rates continue to rise due to unemployment and poverty. The real trend is businesses moving to the people and we will see the suburbs evolve to mini cities concentrating on a few specialized product/service areas. Workers will commute on foot/bike or share a ride with a neighbor that works at the same business. People will begin to meet each other again and with shared interests, might actually get along. Small farming operations will sprout up around these mini-cities and local production will be the prevalent trade. The economic downturn will turn our cities into poverty ridden, hollowed out crime zones. Link The poor who cannot adjust will be left to fend for themselves in an ever increasing urban hell. In 2001, Argentina suffered an economic collapse that gives much insight into how populations will respond. Gangs of thugs roomed the cities looking for anything to steel and anyone to exploit. Link The police and emergency services were horded by the wealthy and the poor were left to the wolves. There is another startling lesson the argentine crisis showed us, namely that living a self sustaining/isolated country way is not a safe choice. Even the well armed rural residents were constantly attacked by roving gangs that were merciless once they overpowered their prey. With little risk of police or neighbors interfering these gangs spent days occupying rural homes robbing, vandalizing and severely abusing the homesteaders. As a similar crisis unfolds here at home the thin veneer of safety and security will begin to peel away. The future for a safe and sustainable lifestyle is the suburbs. Having a local specialized workforce with supporting farmers, handymen clerks and clergy living in support of each other is the safest and most practical evolution of our society. People you know and share a common bond. People willing to support your needs as your wellbeing will affect the community as a whole. This lifestyle will not be idyllic, actually knowing and interacting with your neighbor will provide the backdrop for drama that will make the antics on Desperate Housewives look mundane. But we must accept the reality of things to come and be ready to adjust. There is a lot of preparedness information being provided to help people get ready for these changes. Most of this information is helpful and practical but let’s not forget the most important item to add to our survival kits; …friends and family.