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The
English Village is nice, but some of the villages in France are almost
transcendentally beautiful.
February 1, 2009: Let's Take a Trip to the English Village
And
what is it that makes them so nice?
Is it
four lanes of traffic in either direction, and plenty of parking?
Or, is
it everything that exists
instead of EZ driving?
Part
of the purpose of this series on villages is to establish the idea that you
don't need a population of five million or more to have utterly gorgeous
urban environments. All, you have to do, really, is decide to make something
nice, instead of something that sucks. And then, you have to know HOW to make
something nice. If you stick with the central principle, Really Narrow Streets,
you will almost certainly be successful.
Let's
pay attention to what I am NOT proposing. I am not proposing that people try
to live in a car-dependent suburban wasteland without a car, like some
pitiful bicycle refugee. Because, if there's one thing that's worse than
suburban hell, it's suburban hell without a car.
What I
AM proposing is that we live like humans have lived for most of the past 5000
years -- either the Paris version or the Little-Village-In-Provence version.
As you can see, it doesn't suck a bit, when you have good plumbing.
This
illustrates particularly well the idea that there should be a dense urban
village, and rural agriculture, and a quick transition between the two. No
"suburbs."
Dense
village and agricultural fields.
It's
horrible, I know.
I
suppose someone will say: "Oh, yes, that's so wonderful BUT ... we can't
do that today because of blah blah blah."
Which
is stupid. Fortunately, not everyone is so stupid.
These
last three photos are new construction.
They
are of a French-village-themed resort in Malaysia. But, we can see that the
essential elements -- especially the Really Narrow Streets -- are in place,
and the result is entirely successful. No cars, of course.
Do you
see what I mean. You just stop whining and ... do it.
A
train station, or at the very least a bus that stops in the center of town
every 20 minutes and goes to the nearest train station, pretty much solves
all the transportation issues.
Other
posts in this series:
February 1, 2009: Let's Take a Trip to the English Village
January 25, 2009: How to Buy Gold on the Comex
(scroll down)
January 4, 2009: Currency Management for Little
Countries (scroll down)
December 28, 2008: Currencies are Causes,
not Effects (scroll down)
December 21, 2008: Life Without Cars
August 10, 2008: Visions of Future Cities
July 20, 2008: The Traditional City vs. the
"Radiant City"
December 2, 2007: Let's Take a Trip to Tokyo
October 7, 2007: Let's Take a Trip to Venice
June 17, 2007: Recipe for Florence
July 9, 2007: No Growth Economics
March 26, 2006: The Eco-Metropolis
* * *
Worse
THAN the Depression watch: Close advisor to U.K. prime
minister says: "The reality is that this is becoming the most serious
global recession for, I'm sure, over 100 years, as it will turn out."
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/this-is-the-worst-recession-for-over-100-years-1605367.html
* * *
Famine
Watch:
Catastrophic Fall in 2009 Global Food Production
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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