cH2icagO's future (Chicago, Phoenix, Wayne: university, earthquakes, living)

[edsg25]

cH2icagO's future

i read with amusement. and i laugh. at the biggest, craziest lame brain topic on city-forum, the forum's greatest blood sport:

the endless the-sky-is-falling-it's-the-end-of-Chicago threads.

i read. and i laugh. chicago has been "written off" so many times, even when it is down and when it's down, it always reinvents itself and comes back.

the energinzer bunny of cities.

so chicago's future doesn't really worry me.

but sadly the future of the united states and the world do. and since chicago is part of both, well, yes, that gives me more than ounce of concern.

but chicago's relationship vis-a-vis other cities, certainly other american cities? that doesn't worry me at all.

skip the trivia. the day to day nonsense of those who pour over demographic figures and can tell you if more babies are born in city a or city b on a given day than are born in chicago. you know, the kind of folks who can pinpoint a block so many hundreds south and so many hundreds west that has been virtually abandoned to gang bangers and use it to give reasons why they are sure humpty chidumpty will topple over tomorrow.

instead: focus on the big picture. focus on where the world is taking us. focus on the new realities (even if they are unpleasant to focus on; they cannot be ignored.)

that nation and world in trouble? the ones that use and abuse and use up resources? it's in the process of making the most precious resource of all even more precious.

if that were possible. which it is.

gold. oil. spices from the orient. take your pick. none measure up to water, the most precious, the most life sustaining (for what are our bodies if not a bunch of water) fluid.

and where in the nation....no, make that where in the world....is there are a city that is the largest and most powerful in its region.....and sits upon a huge, huge percentage of the world's fresh water in the inadequately named "Great Lakes" (these lakes are far greater than that adjective conveys).

i'm sorry both nation and world have to be at this point, but in 10, 20, 30 years (doubtfully any longer than that), chicago will find itself at the heart of the world's greatest location, the one with that precious fluid, the most strategic spot on the planet.

Do I believe this? damned right i do. Just like I believe that I don't have a clue where LA and Vegas will get their water in 30 years....but, then again, neither do LA and Vegas.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by edsg25

and where in the nation....no, make that where in the world....is there are a city that is the largest and most powerful in its region.....and sits upon a huge, huge percentage of the world's fresh water in the inadequately named "Great Lakes" (these lakes are far greater than that adjective conveys).

i'm sorry both nation and world have to be at this point, but in 10, 20, 30 years (doubtfully any longer than that), chicago will find itself at the heart of the world's greatest location, the one with that precious fluid, the most strategic spot on the planet.

In that case we'll see a corresponding increase in the strategic importance of Mackinac, Detroit, Amherstburg, Niagara, Kingston, Quebec and Halifax. All of which still have existing (but outdated of course) fortifications.


Fort Niagara



Fort Erie



Fort Wayne at Detroit



The citadel of Quebec

[Aleking]

Maybe...but your timeline is way off...it's more like 100-200 years and that's only if we don't crack the energy nut surrounding desalinization first.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by Aleking

Maybe...but your timeline is way off...it's more like 100-200 years and that's only if we don't crack the energy nut surrounding desalinization first.

100-200 years? you're serious?

and if you are, please tell me where LA, Vegas, Phoenix, and lots of burning up parts of Texas will be getting their water in 30 or so years?

[jwaiter]

Atlanta almost ran out of water recently.

I agree w the OP, freshwater is a very valuable natural resource, extremely important. Chicago also has no earthquakes, mudslides, forest fires, hurricanes, tsunami's, or any real natural disaster threat except the tornado.

[Aleking]

Originally Posted by edsg25

100-200 years? you're serious?

and if you are, please tell me where LA, Vegas, Phoenix, and lots of burning up parts of Texas will be getting their water in 30 or so years?

A lot of those shortages were related to super intense weather (non-climate) related droughts, and in the case of Texas one that has been greatly improved over the past few months of heavy rain.


The water crisis is overplayed, it's not hitting anytime soon and we'll have cheap desalinization when it does. The chances of Chicago turning into a middle eastern style resource giant are crazy slim.

[jwaiter]

Originally Posted by Aleking

...Chicago turning into a middle eastern style resource giant...

Way to go to the extreme. Nobody said it like that. A nearby source of freshwater is a huge asset to the area, that's all I said. It bodes well for the area.

[richrf]

The corrupt politicians will sell the water rights to the Arabs or Chinese and pocket the proceeds just like they did with every other public asset. If you want to understand where Chicago is headed, just understand that Chicago was named the most corrupt city in the U.S. by a University of Chicago study. It is impossible to live comfortably in a city ruled by corrupt leaders at ALL levels. Water or no water, life is intolerable - except for all those who are living off everyone else.

[Attrill]

Water is a very valuable resource, and Chicago certainly stands to benefit from low water rates for both residential and industrial uses - we already make a decent amount of money by selling water to some suburbs. The future will most likely bring more opportunities for Chicago to sell some water (especially if we reverse the Chicago River to how it should flow).

That said, I don't see any huge shifts within the US based on water shortages. In the US we waste so much water that conservation will make up for many of the shortfalls in drought conditions. That is what happened in Atlanta, and I think we can expect to see many more municipalities having to enforce stricter conservation measures over the next 10-20 years. At most a national water shortage will place on cap on development in some metro areas and cause a slight increase in the cost of living to pay for new water systems.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by richrf

The corrupt politicians will sell the water rights to the Arabs or Chinese and pocket the proceeds just like they did with every other public asset.

Can't happen - International agreements with Canada combined with a Supreme Court decision govern where and who water can be sold to. It isn't going to leave the immediate region.