
Silicon Valley’s company towns are doomed - raleighm
https://www.fastcodesign.com/90174299/silicon-valleys-company-towns-are-doomed
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tlb
These seem different from classic company towns like Wolfsburg or Flint,
because they're integrated into a real city. It's hard to put a company town
in the middle of nowhere and get good schools, restaurants, and performing
arts. These are really company suburbs, which can be soulless but not
unlivable.

~~~
DrScump

      It's hard to put a company town in the middle of nowhere and get good schools, restaurants, and performing arts
    

Chernobyl/Pripyat (Ukraine) was reportedly one such example... until the
meltdown.

~~~
tlb
The Soviets could just tell people where to live. In the US, persuading
teachers, chefs, and actors to move is fairly difficult.

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DrScump
Both Facebook's Willow Village and Google's North Bayshore are in
"transportation deserts" with no rail service and very few, already-crowded
routes to get to the other side of US 101, which forms a hard barrier to the
rest of the valley otherwise. The parcels for both were acquired cheaply for
that reason.

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pascalxus
It just seems like too much power in the hands of too few people. By all
means, let's build more housing, denser, and taller and more cost effective.
But, it shouldn't be run by any 1 single company, especially not the one that
you work for, and the only employer in the area.

~~~
p2t2p
There is an awesome book series by Russian author Vadim Panov - The Enclaves.
I can't find any translation but here is a description. Basically companies
took over some cities and separated themselves from states into so called
"Enclaves". Each enclave is owned by some major enormous corporation and it
also gives room and services for smaller companies. Enclave Moscow, enclave
New York and so on. No government employee allowed on an Enclave territory and
also government laws does not apply. They had their own Encalve Edinburgh
which were responsible for security in other enclaves, it provided services,
established rules and so on. Governments were really happy with situation
because those Enclaves were supplying them with tech and war stuff governments
wanted. No free entry/exit as well.

I don't know if it's good or bad but I feel like it is easier for me to deal
with a person who's driving force is profit rather than lust for power. They
seem to be more reasonable on average than powerlusters so I'd rather leave in
corporate city with corporate laws provided that I can have free exit/entry if
I don't like something.

~~~
clintonb
> I don't know if it's good or bad but I feel like it is easier for me to deal
> with a person who's driving force is profit rather than lust for power. They
> seem to be more reasonable on average than powerlusters so I'd rather leave
> in corporate city with corporate laws provided that I can have free
> exit/entry if I don't like something.

Corporations may seem reasonable now, but what happens when the corporation's
desires go against your own? You either suck it up, or move to the other
corporate town. At least with our current society we can vote people into/out
of office. With a corporation, if you aren't a major shareholder, you are
powerless.

