Cities Are Like Plants or Trees
Did you ever have a favorite plant, shrub or tree where with each new spring it got bigger, healthier and prettier? I've had many and with each passing year one feels proud of what might be happening in the yard. Then somewhat unexpectedly things get out of control. The branches that were never intended to get that large get heavy and snap. The extraordinary growth over the years results in a plant that becomes ill formed with nice looking edges but overgrown tired trunk branches. Wind fall days or ice driven winds in the winter strees palts beyoned the brink where waht was once attractive topples over as a botanical disaster. Maybe cities have the same problem. Is too big something that eventually tears most cities apart? When it takes an hour to go 10 miles from one side of town (admittedly a big city) to the other is that problem an indicator that excessive growth justmight not be right? Perhaps there is indeed a Limit to Growth as was once described by Meadows in the 70's.
