City to Come

I’m not the best person to answer this question because I always feel myself wanting to go backwards in time. Even in Google Earth Street View, I frequently switch the setting to 2008 😀. That’s as far back as you can go.

Sure, I’d ensure that the city had good amenities and facilities, but if I visit a city such as London, I won’t make a beeline for the new districts. But if I’m allowed to fantasize, it would be nice to create different sections based on different themes. I remember visiting the Commonwealth Institute in London many years ago.

Regarding my dislike of new buildings, I should remind myself that all buildings were new once. One issue that I would want to address is to ensure that housing is provided by all. I find it bewildering that Ireland, when it was a poor country, back in the early part of the last century was able to clear the slums and lanes and build social housing. Some of these houses in Cork are nearly 100 years old and are still in excellent shape. Here’s a street view of Gurranabraher, Cork, which was developed in the 1930s.

Now, we have all the talk of the “Celtic Tiger” and booming economy, and thousands are homeless. And none of the Western countries seem to have figured out how to control our borders.

I’m not a leftie, but if I were designing the city of the future, I might look to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. At very least, everyone should be housed. After that, we can start focusing on rewarding those who deserve something better.

I always like to weave music into my posts. So here are two “city” songs; The Lovin’ Spoonful’s Summer in the City and U2’s City of Blinding Lights.

And I like to finish with the Scriptures. Interestingly, there’s much negativity about cities in general in the Bible. Perhaps things can be worse when you have a high concentration of evil people in a certain area. You can even see that with “new towns” or new estates. For these to work, you shouldn’t place criminal families alongside honest poor people but that’s precisely what happens. Then, everyone blames the architecture, the lack of facilities etc. but really, it’s people, nasty people, that are to blame. I’m sure that it’s the same the world over. Maybe, we should think of designing a city for them somewhere far away. Surely there’s plenty of space on Pluto 😀.

Here are a few verses and hymns about cities. It might surprise some to see Jerusalem under the negative category, but until Christ returns, sin is everywhere. I would think that all religions aspire to love God and others, and many people realize that they fall short and reach out to God for mercy and commit themselves to turn over a new leaf. As a Christian, I would argue that you need to go further and trust in Jesus. But the point that I’m making is that if we grow careless, the holiest person, church, religion or city is capable of great evil. But that’ll all change in the future. We don’t have any great detail, but when I consider what it might be like, I think of all that is best at the present as a starting point.

Negative

Jude 7
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

Rev 18:10
Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
    you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!’

Matt 23:37
 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

Positive

Proverbs 11:11
Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

Heb 13:14
For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

Rev 21:10-11
¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹ It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 

Hymns