6 mo. ago • 98%

Your barren urban sprawl: Tolkien's modern Mordor in the making.

46 comments

"Urban sprawl" is an oxymoron. Dense urban areas are good, actually; it's only the suburbs that sprawl.

62
- It should be called suburban sprawl
  
  46
  
  Agreed. Suburban sprawl I meant
  
  19
  
  It should be called the place with trees and loosely densely population that would be okay if cars weren't so ubiquitous because some people like space but let's make sure not to exclude minorities so people don't end up racist.
  
  1
- This is not true? Lots of urban areas can sprawl, not least because of car centric planning (big car parks between islands of actual land use; roads built to ease the traffic of roads; urban 'islands' of tall and dense occupation connected by road with slivers of green in-between that don't serve to actually offer a natural environment. Kuala Lumpur features all of these, for example) but also as economic centres decline and become disused and new developments in other areas spread.
  
  18
  
  Especially they sprawl when the developers are allowed to do as they please. They want the most profitable option, which is barren and opposed to what people and local government usually want
  
  2
- Nah. Sprawl is real, I live in one of the worst offenders
  
  9
  
  I know sprawl is real. I'm saying it isn't "urban."
  
  -1
- Tokyo
  
  6
  
  Tokyo (mostly) isn't sprawl; that's just how much space 40 million people take up.
  
  15
  
  That is still better than the alternative of suburbs. Could it be better designed or something. Idk, maybe.
  
  5
One does not simply walk to downtown. You MUST own a car.

37
- Thankfully Boromir was wrong, and they do walk into Mordor. At least I don't have Shelob guarding the way when I go to the movie theater
  
  16
  
  "My name is KENNETH, ACKTUALLY, and you NEED A TICKET to see Spiderman"
  
  10
Where I live, rich urban areas have plenty of trees and frequently get more planted around. Meanwhile, poorer areas receive zero trees because "they don't have trees to receive maintenance".

35
Despite what you might think of Skynyrd, they cover this topic in a relatable way. Arcade Fire also covers it kind of. Sorry for the links but I'm a huge music nerd.

Around here, sprawl is a major issue. We have some of the most fertile soils in the world, and we pave over them without regard. It's abhorrent. I don't make the 'most fertile soils' comment lightly - this is my area of expertise, professionally. The only other places I can think of that have better soil quality than where I live are Russia and the Ukraine.

26
- Despite what you might think of [Skynyrd]
  
  I think they're amazing musicians and lyricists who held regressive viewpoints on certain issues which were more socially acceptable in their bygone era.
  
  7
  
  Very much this. Well written and thoughtful comment, BTW.
  
  3
- Housing developments that scour the earth bare and named after that which they destroyed. Fox Run, Oak Ridge, Forest Brook, etc...
  
  7
- Around here
  
  Where's that, for those of us who aren't your neighbours? 😛
  
  5
  
  Khazad-dûm
  
  7
  
  This little place called Earth.
  
  1
- Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
  
  Skynyrd
  
  Arcade Fire
  
  Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
  
  I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
  
  2
I normally don't post about my blog here, but I literally posted this today so...https://dantheclamman.blog/2024/04/24/environmentally-youve-got-to-hand-it-to-sauron/

25
Also describes the orcs' drink they gave to the hobbits very much like you would describe coffee

21
- Doesn't Bilbo make actual coffee for the dwarves at the start of the Hobbit?
  
  15
- Not even freshly ground... just like mass produced coffee
  
  6
  
  The best part of wakin’ up
  
  3
- Huh, I never interpreted it that way! Then again, I'm not a coffee drinker.
  
  2
Tolkien is but an average tree enjoyer.

14
Tree is good, no tree is sad. Sounds reasonable enough!

5
Where do you suggest all the people go?

1
- To places where trees grow.
  
  And build with them, and make yet another Mordor.
  
  1

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