Back in 1964 Arthur C Clarke made the prediction that cities in the future would not be like the Jetsons but be not needed anymore. Not needed because communication will have superseded their value as a social concentration of opportunity. Here is the video of him making this point.
There is no doubt that since industrialization the city has been the magnet. And that our struggles to bring our kids home have been fruitless in the face of so much more opportunity in the city.
This is also why it is so gard to attract business to PEI. To be here on PEI as a major business means that you have to give up the essential concentration of key others in your world. Why would you do that?
Well you can of course if new forms of communication mean that there is no distance in effect.
What is also happening is that cities are starting to peak in terms of ROI. The costs of housing, school, child care, commuting are crushing now. AND the high paying secure job that pays for all of this will pay less and be less secure.
100 years ago 85% of people lived in rural settings. Now most of us live in intense urban settings. The reason for the shift was a shift in how the economy worked. If we can put together an intense local network, we can bring our kids home and a lot of other kids too.
So what kind of opportunity?
More on that later - but In short - giving the small and artisanal power by connecting them.
