Originally Posted by
cooker
I don't think either of those is true. Nobody is promoting "company towns" and there isn't a big exodus from urban areas. Anyway, "company towns" were often small or medium, rural or semi-rural communities with one major employer who had something of a captive labour market and could dictate or influence whatever happened in that town. I don't see how that applies to anything discussed in this thread, so please elaborate.
I don't know what that means.
You're fond of saying what is and isn't being said, and frankly I find it a bit arrogant. You may not agree with my opinion, but it's my opinion none the less that some of what's been said in LCF does suggest a contemporary version of the company town.
I didn't mean to imply there's currently an "exodus from urban areas", I was referring to what happened many decades ago in the desire to escape those communities.
I think some of the ideas proposed here of compact urban communities where one lives, works, and shops in their own local community, combined with current retail, rental properties, and manufacturing consolidation trends could bring about a latter day version of those "company towns".
I'm all for making such compact communities possible, viable, and sustainable for those who want them, but I also believe in making the suburban and rural options equally possible, viable, and sustainable for everyone of every income level who wants them.
By reactive rather than proactive, I mean working to make what people want, and have viable, and sustainable, rather than trying to change what people want and have to fit a viable and sustainable ideal.