## Introduction - This is about looking at Blockchains as if they were cities in development - The analogy of a city is just one and it’s brittle - Contrasting two versions of a city may help discuss the nuances - Neal Stephenson’s “In the beginning was the command line” ### The issue of safety - At 40% fake transactions - 200,000 bots - I’m a great fan of Jane Jacobs ## The optimistic city: Manhattan - New York in 1811 ![[manhattan-pre-1811.webp]] ![[1801_Mangin-Goerck_Plan_or_Map_of_New_York_City.jpg]] ![[NYC-GRID-1811-gridiron.png|300]] ![[manhattan-1870-George_Schlegel_-_George_Degen_-_New_York_1873.jpeg]] - “The next big thing” - At the intersection of a new world - Still farmland - Gridiron – Chains of (city) blocks - Parcels of farmland bought - Center of activity is Five Points - Unsafe and exciting - Policy, government - Safty – By the people for the people - Eyes on the street - Petty crime eventually in-check ## The pessimistic city: Ghost city ![[Merry-Pranksters.jpg]] ![[geodesic-village.jpeg]] ![[ghost-cities1.jpeg]] ![[purge-masks.jpeg]] ![[chimp-mask.webp]] ![[ghost-cities-blockchain.png]] - Crypto-hippies settled in the desert - Wallstreet-Bros thought ”I can sell the shit out of this.“ - China’s ghost cities - We bought (“invested”) in one of the condos - Wondering why no one is there - Empty buildings - No water - No infrastructure - No community - No eyes on the street - Gangs with animal masks roam the streets - Gangs plunder, rape and murder at will - So unsafe that you don’t even have your lights on at night ## Discussion - “Done is when it’s up for discussion” - What do you think? - Where does the analogy of city fall short? - Where does it fit? - And where it fits, which city are we talking about?