Regional Geography

The fact that Providence is number two on this list is likely due to the fact that we escaped the urban renewal era relatively intact, unlike so many other cities. It's interesting that Buffalo made it to #3 on the list. Most people probably wouldn't consider it as one of the "oldest cities in America." But when you consider Buffalo's rapid growth during the Canal Era, when it was an important Industrial city (once the 8th largest city in the US) and the fact that its population has been declining since the 1950, and therefore not constructing many new buildings, it isn't hard to see how Buffalo ended up with the third largest stock of prewar architecture.

With more than 1billion followers, the geographic diversity of today's Catholic church is vast.  With the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, questions abound as to the identity of the next pope.  The Religion News Service takes this question to the next level.  Considering the popularity of betting services around the world, the bracket concept isn't that unlikely.

In many cities around the world ski lifts exist for the purpose  of sightseeing. But in the last decade, gondola lift systems have been built as a means of mass transportation in Latin American cities. Cable systems in Medellin, Colombia and Caracas, Venezuela connect the poorest citizens in the favelas to the urban core and all of the goods and services they provide. Cable transport is a wonderful example of sustainable urban development. It is environmentally friendly, producing no carbon dioxide emissions, cost-effective, and requires little infrastructure.

I found this article particularly surprising because as a typical American I naturally assume that the States have some of the best cities in the world, and the most expensive. According to this article however that is not the case. Perhaps it relates to the idea of Primate Cities that we discussed in class. In the United States we fund multiple cities, and not just one that is bigger and better than the rest. Perhaps it is because America has historically been a land of farmers, so in that sense we tend to value our rural areas as well as our cities. Though a simple answer may be that our cities are getting cheaper because of the current fiscal decline in the United States.