Big Cities "Doomed" According to 1932

In yet another gem from Modern Mechanix, folks from 1932 ponder "How Much Longer Will Our Big Cities Last?" Photos of subway tunnels collapsing and apartment fires in New York set the apocalyptic tone for the piece which claims "scientific prophets" see the mammoth cities becoming obsolete. We're to pictured a cobweb-enshrouded Empire State Building and dandelions overtaking Wall Street after "exhaustive studies" concluded that we're pretty much, well, screwed.

According to such writers as Stuart Chase, when man built the city he built a Frankenstein monster which would eventually turn and try to destroy its creator. The city, Mr. Chase believes, has grown so intricate and unwieldy that it now dominates its helpless inhabitants, rather than being dominated by them.

It will be the intense congestion and mechanical complexity of the city that will bring about its destruction. Little does the city dweller realize the extent to which his life depends on the fragile arteries by which he is supplied food, gas, electricity, water, milk, fuel, and communication with his associates.

Well, so far so good (though they do raise a valid point about the streets exploding). And everything (utilities included) seemed to work just fine in I Am Legend! Read more about yesterday's doomed future, here.

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on February 26, 2008 11:23 AM

Comments [rss]

sj

Not really on topic but I thought I'd throw it in here since I also saw it mentioned in the Gothamist review of I Am Legend. The utilities in the movie weren't working. He had rigged up some gasoline-powered generators which were shown early in the movie to provide electricity and to power a water pump.

There was no power on anywhere once he was outside of his house.

/nerd

tien

hey! detroit also has gambling going for it! gambling and hockey! that's all you need.

ptwnbkr

ha! that photo of "congestion" is hilarious! man, we all know what real congestion is now. whether or not it really will work, i say bring on congestion pricing, and let's see what happens.

mikehawk

Times Square should be one giant pedestrian plaza. Could be possible with congestion pricing.

edgar

Seriously, these predictions came true in the South Bronx, the LES, and other neighborhoods, whose dilapidated housing stock went up in flames in the 70's. Many areas of the South Bronx were 10 times as dense in the 60's as they are now. The LES used to have a population density of 500,000 people per square mile!

Tim N.

"yesterday's doomed future..."

Good one, Jen.

Intense congestion and mechanical complexity? Pah! It's the yuppies that will kill the cities.

Guest

Poor crappy Detroit. The only thing it has going for it is a top notch hockey team.

Think2wice

1930's anti-urbanism culminated in the Futurama exhibit at the '39 World's Fair (which promoted sprawl and an unsustainable lifestyle).

The only one who got it right about cities was (whether you like her or not) Jane Jacobs.

Tower18

Yeah, it's not really too far off. New York and Chicago particularly were pretty much on the brink a few decades ago. Both have recovered, other traditionally "major" cities (like Detroit for instance) have not.