[manfredo]

> We keep expecting the internet to change this, and it keeps not happening. Why doesn't it? Why haven't remote workers or remote teams spread into the smaller towns and countryside?

Because there are benefits to living in the city even if your job can be done in arbitrary locations. It's easier to deliver goods and services (on a per capita basis) in dense population centers. It also means that people have much more options for entertainment, dining, socialization, dating, and plenty of other advantages. Really, the only disadvantage is space but that's mitigated by skyscrapers (effectively multiplying the surface area of a city). Urbanization is directly correlated to educational attainment, income, and other quality of life metrics. Urbanization is also nothing new. Humanity as a whole has been on an continuous overall trend towards urbanization since the industrial revolution. Really, the only reason why we weren't urbanized until now is because postindustrial societies couldn't function without >70% of their population working in agriculture.