Personally I think a very dense inner city would be cool. No cars would be allowed in the inner most city. There would be market rate and affordable / workforce housing apartment / condo living options in the inner most city. The city would be ringed by a parks and green space system which would also serve as a natural growth boundary. People would grow their own food in the outer ring harking back to a more agricultural economy. The parks and green space system would also make for good recreation as there would be golf courses, play fields, etc. People who prefer a little more space could live on the outside of the growth boundary and commute to work via bike and pedestrian trials or an above ground / underground rail and bus service system that enters the city at specific points. Neighborhoods in the outer most ring would be restricted to small neighborhood scale development. In other words, no big box development like Wal-Mart, Target, or Lowes. There would be a more community oriented economy such as barbershops, coffee shops, small scale hardware and garden stores, neighborhood scale grocery stores serviced by food grown in the growth boundary, and most importantly lots of record stores, movie houses, and bookstores. The point is to build and maintain a strong sense of community and sense of place. In theory this equals a stronger democracy. Better yet, it creates the opportunity for a stronger democracy.
This is very much a Garden City with a little bit of Lewis Mumford and Jane Jacobs thrown in, I recognize that.
That's a mouth full but I'm curious as many of you live in some very interesting cities, what would be your ideal city or city plan?
Thanks
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