I found this wonderful drawing on Digg, a vision of 1950 seen from 1925.
It’s an architect’s Utopian vision of the city of tomorrow. And it’s a good example of why centralized planning will always fail.
Hayek called it the knowledge problem.
The architect has designed a wonderfully integrated structure that combines all the disparate functions of the time into one building. Traffic is segregated on multiple street levels and massive buildings contain apartments, offices and shopping. It’s a hive, and like all hives doesn’t allow for change. This one man has decided how everyone will live travel and work without even bothering to ask the people for their opinion.
Compare this city of the future with the reality of 1950.
Not even close.
All those people crammed together like that? My own personal nightmare.
Although, a dirigible would be cool.
A dirigible with nuclear canons!!
He’d be the perfect guy to get a job in the Obama Administration. I hear they’re looking for another Czar.
Where does all the car exhaust go?
That picture looks like a high tech ant bed.