The Chaotic, Fractal and Complex City

(image located at: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/03/the-next-slum/306653/?single_page=true ) In some of the past blog entries, I have discussed the decline of cities in the Rust Belts of both North America and Europe.   Some of the entries were directly related to Detroit, the ‘poster child’ of the Rust Belt and its implications for other Industrial Era cities.   The decline of these cities can be directly attributed to the globalizing economy and the restructuring of most developed nations.   This has left behind vacant buildings and derelict vacant land.   At the same time, there are examples of redevelopment of some of these areas into mixed used areas. The global economic crash of 2008, is a watershed.   The economies of developed nations will not bounce back to the level that they were before.   There are underlying socioeconomic changes that are also occurring that affect this situation.   There is increasing numbe...

  (Image of Curtiba, Brazil, considered a model of sustainbility found at :" What are Cities Doing to Go "Green? " found in Scientific America ) During the recent Vice-Presidential debate (11 October 2012), the references to cities were sketchy and mixed with national/international issues.  Biden mentioned Detroit, and the assistance given General Motors as a measure to save jobs and Detroit.  Then, he touched on mortgage relief, a de facto urban topic, in reference also to Detroit.  Biden stated: “Romney said, no, let Detroit go bankrupt. We moved in and helped people refinance their homes. Governor Romney said, no, let foreclosures hit the bottom.” Ryan, avoided the issue of governmental intervention in Detroit by a deflecting dialog with Biden about the increase of unemployment rate in Scranton, Pennsylvania (Biden’s hometown) during Obama’s first four years. “He continued to state that: “He talks about Detroit. Mitt Romney's a car guy.” Then, ...

(This image was found at: http://www.socialphy.com/posts/news-politics/15023/Eurovegas.html .) With stagnant local economies in the Europe and the United States and related declining local revenues, many local governments are vulnerable to ‘opportunistic capitalism.’   ‘Opportunistic capitalism’ defined here is where an industry/business , seeing an opportunity to exploit depressed local economies, offers employment and potential revenue to local/regional government in exchange for tax breaks and perhaps additional infrastructure; but the city realizes low-paying jobs, a fraction of the benefits going to local government and other negative impacts such as environmental damage, crime etc.   The investors come away with tremendous profits.   This can also come in the form of ‘blackmail’ by existing industries desiring additional tax breaks, union concessions etc.; or sport teams demanding a new stadium; with the entity threating they will leave if their dema...

(The above image was selected from “Masterplans and Sustainable Cities” from the webpage of Sustainable Cities .   This is an interesting website worthy of exploration. ) It is a tragedy when cities have been left behind by the structural global economic changes and not able to transition from the Industrial Age to the Information Age resulting in  large areas of derelict urban landscapes, such as found in Detroit and other cities in the Rust Belts of North American and Europe. The only solution away from further decline is the transformation of these areas in congruence with the emerging sustainability paradigm, which is scaleless. Stakeholders (including the general public)  in these stressed cities have to think large .   This is not the first time, that tragedy has struck an American city.   Like organisms, cities sometimes   have loss of sustenance/ raison d’être. (industries leaving, dwindling hinterland, technological changes such as s...

(Image located on “Lessons from Germany's Rust Belt” article in the GreenCityBlueLake blog.) If we view places like Detroit, Gary (Indiana), areas of Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, we might see a a dystopia of crumbling abandoned factories, vacant houses, shopping areas etc.; cities left behind as the global economy restructures itself.   Although many of these buildings will have to be demolished and some cities downsized, there is an opportunity for the reuse of these buildings to provide opportunities in redevelopment, employment and orientation toward the ‘new economy’.   Overriding the reuse of buildings should be an ongoing regional planning process where there is a commitment by all segments to change that does not dwell on the past, but sees new opportunities; particularly in the Green Economy and the developing global technological sector.    Beginning on the process of reuse does not have to be belabored, but can be as simple as selecting ...