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I
haven't been writing too much about economics recently. I think people are in
denial right now. An investor friend of mine characterized it as: "Well,
if things get worse, that's unimaginable. So, things will get better." I
suspect the denial will begin to crack, at least among investor types for
whom denial is very expensive, when we get to $1200/oz. of gold or so. The
mainstream types (including politicians and economists) will be in denial
until such time as we see $4000+/oz. of gold I think. I suspect that the
period from about now to the end of next year might be quite exciting from an
international monetary system sort of perspective.
Besides,
I've said most of what I want to say regarding the macro policy stuff.
There's a lot more that can be done, but, between the book and all the stuff
written on this website between 2005 and the present, there's enough out
there now that most everyone's questions should be answered. You could say I
was preparing for this present time.
However,
there is a lot more basic material to cover regarding the city design theme.
You might even say that I am preparing ... for the future period, of about
2-5 years from now, when these things will become a bit more immediately
relevant. I'd like to have most of that in place too.
I did
a couple pieces for the Huffington Post, with an op-ed sort of theme:
September 25, 2009: Does Hong Kong Have the World's Best Health
Care System?
September 23, 2009: What $1000+ Gold Means To You
* * *
Why
not take a trip to Barcelona.
Nice
open-air market. Note the buildings on either side. This is the "middle
of the street."
Some
pretty wild architecture in Barcelona. These are apartment buildings.
People
are too uptight about architecture. Have a good time with it! Why not.
Another
shot of the same apartment building. Would you live in a 500-1000sf apartment
here?
One of
the wider avenues -- with no cars!
You
need a few wider avenues. But only a few!
A
narrow street in an older part of town.
I
haven't talked about architecture much. I've proposed very simple boxy
buildings, which even a fifth-grader could design. If you make very simple
boxy buildings, you will get a good result, if the streets are Really Narrow,
the buildings are side-by-side and there are no cars. However, you can
certainly make a more interesting building too. This one seems
quite lovely.
This
must be David Byrne's tailor.
There's
something really cool about outdoor, public escalators. Hong Kong has a great
one called the "travelator."
Cars
are not illegal in Barcelona, but there are plenty of places without cars.
Once a street becomes Narrow enough, cars just don't go there anymore.
This
is a late-in-the-day shot, but as you can see the Really Narrow Street gets a
little dim when buildings go over four stories high or so.
Maybe
I'll start slipping in a bit more ambitious architecture here and there.
However, I find that people tend to fixate on the architecture, and miss the
fundamentals of Really Narrow Streets, buildings side-by-side, and no cars --
the essential elements of the Traditional City. Only after you've mastered
those fundamentals should you move on to integrating more interesting
architecture.
Today's
generation of architects are basically Neanderthals. They should be ignored
completely. Instead, pay attention to the successes of past generations.
The
next thing that people tend to think is that we can't make a city like
Barcelona (the best parts of Barcelona) unless we have decorative inlaid tile
pillars topped by stonecarvings of whatever-the-hell-that-is. People just
like to make up stupid excuses. Make a simple box, and you will get a good
result. There's plenty more to do when you get more ambitious.
Interesting
solution here.
I
haven't talked about plazas and other elements of the Traditional City much
yet. However, the foundation is the Really Narrow Streets. You can see how
the Really Narrow Streets integrate with the open plazas a bit here. Imagine
what this plaza would be like if it was surrounded by six lanes of traffic on
all side. Ugh.
Life
sure looks like a pure fucking horror when people don't have cars.
 
Local
shop. You get more little shops like this in a Traditional City. That's
something else I'll talk about later. The way things are going, it will
probably take another two years.
A
bunch of people tearing their hair out because they don't have cars.
When a
building faces a pedestrian street, you can incorporate elements that can be
appreciated by a person. Look at the statuary, the tiled walls, wrought-iron
railings, arches, grilled doors, the moldings (carvings?) around the windows,
and the way the top of the building is treated. Lots of sophistication here.
We're way beyond the fifth-grade level now.
You
don't put a building like this in the strip mall next to the Target.
Plenty
of interesting material in Barcelona. I hope you enjoyed your trip.
Nathan
Lewis
Nathan
Lewis was formerly the chief international economist of a leading economic
forecasting firm. He now works in asset management. Lewis has written for the
Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal Asia, the Japan Times, Pravda, and
other publications. He has appeared on financial television in the United
States, Japan, and the Middle East. About the Book: Gold: The Once and Future
Money (Wiley, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-470-04766-8, $27.95) is available at
bookstores nationwide, from all major online booksellers, and direct from the
publisher at www.wileyfinance.com or 800-225-5945. In Canada, call
800-567-4797.
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