During the pandemic, Lake Tahoe developed a “people problem”—or so a recent Guardian piece argues, describing an “influx of remote workers, second home buyers, traffic gridlock, and packed beaches,” a general overcrowding that has intensified over the past few years.
Going to miss the numbers, especially as a chronic binge-r. All the more reason to check in more frequently!
I wonder if the impetus for new urban projects to be complex and primed for seamlessness comes from the fact that these sensibilities are baked into our digital technology
Yeah I already sorta miss the numbers too...but felt like this newsletter has been around long enough to settle into a permanent/indefinite state, hence the change.
That's an interesting question. Timelessness and illegibility are definitely "junkspace" qualities. The numbering system is kind of like the urban street grid. Maybe my newsletter's branding is evolving to mirror the topics I write about.
Interesting story about Lake Tahoe (idea for a streaming service TV show: 30's something hipster couple flees NYC during COVID for Lake Tahoe, but finds the same problems there, culture clash based hilarity ensues).
In terms of the Saudis' new crazy city, I suspect it will be a lot like the "World Cup Cities" that were recently created, documented excellently by a Youtuber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d59XSzwxRlo major themes were: this has clearly been thrown together last minute and not thought out, it's totally dependent on literal army of foreign workers, incredibly expensive, and deeply tacky. Anyway reminds me of this classic short bit from the late great Robert Hughes documentary of 20th Century art The Shock of the New about Brasilia, which was once suppose to be the city of the future too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he4C7gWEpEU. Remember kids, nothing dates faster than people's fantasies about the future.
Brasilia is fascinating, and definitely a good model for what Saudi Arabia is doing (I still need to watch Shock of the New). Your point about World Cup cities seems right - it's much more about spectacle than people actually living there, even if people do live there. Not a recipe for good urbanism but it will at least be "interesting".
No plans to change the naming system - I can't resist making all these music allusions. Glad you caught/appreciated the Pere Ubu reference, such a great album.
Going to miss the numbers, especially as a chronic binge-r. All the more reason to check in more frequently!
I wonder if the impetus for new urban projects to be complex and primed for seamlessness comes from the fact that these sensibilities are baked into our digital technology
Yeah I already sorta miss the numbers too...but felt like this newsletter has been around long enough to settle into a permanent/indefinite state, hence the change.
That's an interesting question. Timelessness and illegibility are definitely "junkspace" qualities. The numbering system is kind of like the urban street grid. Maybe my newsletter's branding is evolving to mirror the topics I write about.
The medium is indeed the message!
Interesting story about Lake Tahoe (idea for a streaming service TV show: 30's something hipster couple flees NYC during COVID for Lake Tahoe, but finds the same problems there, culture clash based hilarity ensues).
In terms of the Saudis' new crazy city, I suspect it will be a lot like the "World Cup Cities" that were recently created, documented excellently by a Youtuber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d59XSzwxRlo major themes were: this has clearly been thrown together last minute and not thought out, it's totally dependent on literal army of foreign workers, incredibly expensive, and deeply tacky. Anyway reminds me of this classic short bit from the late great Robert Hughes documentary of 20th Century art The Shock of the New about Brasilia, which was once suppose to be the city of the future too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he4C7gWEpEU. Remember kids, nothing dates faster than people's fantasies about the future.
Brasilia is fascinating, and definitely a good model for what Saudi Arabia is doing (I still need to watch Shock of the New). Your point about World Cup cities seems right - it's much more about spectacle than people actually living there, even if people do live there. Not a recipe for good urbanism but it will at least be "interesting".
"In honor of hitting issue #200 I retired the numbering system."
But kept the naming system- I hope that stays!
P.S. Huge shout for working Pere Ubu in here.
No plans to change the naming system - I can't resist making all these music allusions. Glad you caught/appreciated the Pere Ubu reference, such a great album.