Yet More Living Arrangements

Winter seems to have come a little early to the nation this year, with much of America in the time-worn cliche of the "Deep Freeze."  The weathermen/women/eunuchs are happy to talk about snow and bitter cold, because it's bad news that people can't get yelled at for delivering.  I think that most people who work in the media have to bite their tongues from time to time when talking about economic recovery, crowded shopping malls, and so on.  With the exception of a half-hearted Black Friday, the malls and stores don't look all that busy from what I've seen.  A lot of shelves that would've been empty by now in years past are still mostly full.  People seem to be putting up fewer Christmas lights.  No one's giving holiday greetings.  While I prefer not to exercise conspiracy-minded thinking as part of the Leibowitz Society, I am suspicious of rosy sales figures in a time when close to twenty percent of the nation is either unemployed or working two or three minimum wage jobs to subsist.  Anyone who asks "Cui bono?" should look directly to politicians who don't want to have to explain away bad news, a media which is founded on advertising or stock traders who know people will shy away from throwing their money into a market that is built on quicksand.

Getting away from current-day commentary, I've been thinking lately about our housing patterns and where/how we'll live.  Suburbia is really not viable in the long-term as a dwelling place.  Consider that most subdivisions, for example, are as spread out as a small-to-medium size town, but not as logically structured.  Most small towns in the past grew organically outward, with workplaces logically located within a reasonable walk of dwelling places.  There was fresh water usually available centrally and the entire community was surrounded by agriculture lands.  In other words, using a comparison to the natural world, it was a complete social ecosystem with balance and interaction.

Modern-day suburbia is a complete contrast.  If a small town was an organic ecosystem existing in the wild, then the subdivision is the equivalent of a zoo -- people are packed at regular intervals into houses which are flimsy, require a lot of upkeep and energy to keep them maintained and occupiable.  While a lot has been made of this in recent years, I think it bears repeating.  For example, people really need to cars to exist in suburbia, because markets are not nearby.  Most people work the equivalent of half a day's walk from their homes.  The houses themselves are not designed to operate without electricity -- most require fan-blown warm air to be habitable.  There is no pump in the backyard for fresh water.  And so on. 

As we slip into the new Dark Age, it seems clear that living space is going to have to be considered.  People will be changing where/how they work, as well as what they are producing.  Many will be going back to mass labor-intensive agriculture, while some work as craftsmen and a few work as doctors, teachers, or other specialist occupations.  The old small towns still have many buildings that, while they may need repair, are still more habitable than the modern suburbs.  Think of them, if you will, as being hollow trees or caves in the forest that currently have no creature in them.  They are ready for people to move in, to fix them up, to make them home once more.  While I don't offer investment advice, I foresee a time when people start purchasing blocks of nearly-abandoned buildings in small towns, that have been forgotten in favor of vinyl and plywood shacks, and start creating viable living and business space out of them once more, not just for antique galleries or photo studios, but real stores and crafting facilities.