For example, imagine if cities were built in such a way that you couldn't have an urban area bigger than (let's say) 4 square miles. If you want to keep building you have to leave at least 1 mile of countryside around a built up area.
So a city can grow very large, but it would have so many gaps that it would really be a collection of small towns, very close together. The only things you could have in the in between areas would be factories, an airport, theme park, golf courses, roads, etc.
The effect of this would be, I think, that people would feel more attached to their local area than they would if it was a larger city. And I think that would play a part in reducing degeneracy because there would be less anonymity. Even if you move to another area, you'll then become part of a community, or more likely to. There would probably be less crime too.
That's just one example. I wonder if anyone has any other ideas.
So a city can grow very large, but it would have so many gaps that it would really be a collection of small towns, very close together. The only things you could have in the in between areas would be factories, an airport, theme park, golf courses, roads, etc.
The effect of this would be, I think, that people would feel more attached to their local area than they would if it was a larger city. And I think that would play a part in reducing degeneracy because there would be less anonymity. Even if you move to another area, you'll then become part of a community, or more likely to. There would probably be less crime too.
That's just one example. I wonder if anyone has any other ideas.