Thoughts on the demise of Auburn over the last 50 years. I dont believe Auburn is much different in its withering (especially the downtown area) than many other cities in the US. Unless of course you are a destination city or still have some major employer(s) that have not/cannot relocated overseas. I look at it as the accelerated (everything takes place exponentially during recent times) evolution of society. 1 - No cities/towns: We were hunter/gatherers for 10s of thousands of years roaming the plains in search of food and shelter operating in extended family units. 2 - Small towns: With domestication of animals and crops we became farmers/herders settled into communities and expanded trade with other communities. This lasted several thousands of years. 3 - Cities and larger towns: Communities centralized into towns and cities supporting the outlying agricultural base. This lasted a few thousand years. 4 - Age of the city:Centralization continued with the advent roads, aqueducts and other infrastructure that operated independently if the surrounding countryside. Manufacturing was introduced and the industrial revolution was born. This lasted a couple of centuries. 5 - Age of the mall/Start of the collapse of the city: As manufacturing became more automated, and skilled workers relied on less, manufacturing manufacturing relocated to cheaper labor markets overseas. This lasted a few decades. 6 - Collapse of the city: Downtown businesses are shuttered and big box stores as the malls thrive. Farms are taken over by agri-business. A couple of decades at the most. 7 - Now/The age of the internet: Malls fail in favor of well positioned chains and big box stores as on-line purchasing takes off. Downtown is re-purposed (housing, restaurants, boutiques, etc.) or is bull dozed under. Taking place for the last 15 years. 8 - Next step: Retail needs will continue to shrink until only grocery stores, and some specialized big box stores (liquor, hardware, etc.) and the service industry (barber shops, salons, lawyers, etc.) is left in centralized previously defined downtown areas. Most purchases will be done on-line. Industrial opportunities for distribution centers, delivery services (UPS, FedEx, etc.). Need for centralization vanishes along with many towns/cities. Not a very rosy picture from the standpoint of those trying to save downtown areas and the cities themselves. It least that is the way i see it.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 22:33:45 +0000
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