[RC_ITR]

Well, environmentally, the preference is that humans live in dense cities & leave as much untouched nature as possible.

Remote work may have as devastating an environmental impact as the automobile (if not more).

Just wait until 250,000 of your fellow outdoor enthusiasts move to Wyoming...

[Apocryphon]

Are you trolling? The environmental impact of reduced traffic is far more significant- and currently observable during this quarantine- than a hypothetical horde of hikers.

[webdood90]

Cities centralize services and make them more efficient. Groceries, trash, hospitals, etc. By spreading all of these things out you make them less efficient. It seems you're overlooking everything else and focusing strictly on commuting's negative effects.

[Apocryphon]

Perhaps, but those images of clouds of smog over LA or Beijing- though admittedly they might be largely produced industrial activity rather than transportation- certainly elicit a visceral response.

[maigret]

Wyoming would still be empty. People would still not commute. But - they would still want to visit family and old friends, so not be too far from an airport or a highway, and they still need a good internet connection. Also, living somewhere cheaper is nice, but most still want access to concerts, culture, museums, libraries and so on. I agree there are many questions, but the last twenty years have unproportionally favourited a few megacities (and areas) where people are still miserable because the costs are even higher than the high incomes. Also, it would be great to bring more college graduates into the country, that would help against the political divide we have currently. Who knows how it will turn out, right? But a try it is definitely worth.

[hosh]

I travelled across countrty over the course of 4 weeks while working remote. I stopped by Wyoming for a week to visit a friend. Was using a crappy internet, working from a hotel. Got altitude sickness the first day I was there. But I got to see things I didn't.

There are two broadband, Low Earth Orbit satallite internet projects that will be a game changer. These are supposed to have low latency to market towards high-frequency traders. If the cost is accessible for individuals, then yeah, you could live at the edges of the grid. Would still need some way to get electrical power.

My wife and I had been thinking about doing that with an RV, and just tooling around for a bit.

[r00fus]

Another commenter from another article about permanent telecommuting - most likely this will happen between metro areas in the same/similar timezones.

You can still have culture, transport and internet in smaller metros. Timezone is key - it's the main reason why offshoring leads to problems.

[francisofascii]

Well, with the population of Wyoming being 578K, 250K would be enough to turn the tide politically and pass some much needed environmental legislation there. :)