tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071098089153600904.post707205035053280905..comments2023-11-02T07:31:47.448-04:00Comments on Austrian Economics and Literature: What Cities Facilitate Flow?Troy Camplinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16515578686042143845noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071098089153600904.post-82268993462325014972011-04-29T04:30:41.299-04:002011-04-29T04:30:41.299-04:00The creative class constitutes over 30% of the pop...The creative class constitutes over 30% of the population. It constitutes more than those of us who are artists. :-) That's a very large minority and, if you consider the fact that most such do in fact live in cities, one shouldn't be surprised to find that some cities have a creative class populations approaching and even slightly more than half of the population. And it's a growing class of people.<br /><br />Too often city planning increases material spatial costs considerably. See Jane Jacobs on the importance of old buildings. Places like NYC, that have rent control, also drive up rents considerably. <br /><br />Sprawl, for the reasons you observe, put a break on creativity. Considering the fact that the same people in the suburbs are often the creative class, that puts a break on both their creativity and the subsequent economic gains. <br /><br />Our cities need to stop doing those things that drive the middle class to the suburbs.Troy Camplinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16515578686042143845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1071098089153600904.post-86649962986511036202011-04-28T11:37:58.416-04:002011-04-28T11:37:58.416-04:00Unfortunately, as a creative class, we are a minor...Unfortunately, as a creative class, we are a minority of the population, and assuming that the majority should accomodate us. Or at least, that's the logical conclusion of your posting.<br /><br />Simple Economics:<br />Cities decrease opportunity costs.<br />Cities increase material spatial costs accordingly.<br />Suburbs decrease spatial costs at the expense of opportunity costs.<br />Suburbs decrease the cost of child rearing.<br />For these reasons the top and bottom occupy cities, and the middle suburbs.<br />Sprawl increases infrastructure costs, increase opportunity costs. (Los Angeles - for anything other than media production.)<br /><br />Was it Jefferson who said: "When we live in cities like they do in Europe, we will become as decadent as they are."?Curthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07783643071088103705noreply@blogger.com