Last week’s stuff was all about why cities are so great. Why do people pay so much to live in them? Especially given the externalities of living crammed in with so many others.
Stuff about external efficiencies of scale (I don’t need a full time copy center, and neither does basically anyone else near here, but we all need one occasionally, and the more of us there are, the more profitable it is for them to stay open full time, with comparable stuff occurring in lots of other categories). Generally these types of services are useful to small dynamic enterprises, with unpredictable demand, and highly variable outputs (such as the fashion industry). Also the need for face to face communication in a variety of fields.
Another topic is the availability of public services and what not in higher density areas. Blah. I think I need to preview what I’m reading to get a better big picture view of the material in question.
From a personal perspective, I like knowing that amenities like music and theater events, exotic restaurants, nightlife, etc. are a 10 minute bus ride away instead of an hour long drive. It does bother me greatly that half my income goes to renting a tiny spot with noise-sensitive neighbors, but anywhere you choose to live is a trade-off. I think it’s worth the increased opportunities to meet people, be exposed to culture, etc.