Ethnic Conflict

In America, there is certainly the potential for ethnic conflict. Categorically, our colossal metroplexes will not be sustainable in a post-oil future - and despite the wishes and yearnings of many people, the truth is that no combination of alternative fuels will permit us to continue living at this scale. Some of our cities will not make it. Phoenix, Tucson, and other Sunbelt cities will dry up and blow away . In Las Vegas, the excitement will be over. Other mega-cities will have to downscale or face extreme dysfunction. One thing that almost nobody is paying attention to: the skyscraper will not be a viable building type in our energy-scarce future. Six or seven stories must be the practical limit in a new age when electric supply is not necessarily as reliable as it has been in our time. Cities overburdened with mega-structures will have a severe liability.