[tinsmith]

In support of this, we can even see the rapid changes in structural demands over half a century in a culture like the US. Suburban sprawl eats up spaces with any viable flexibility in a matter of years, and things like shopping malls fade out of fashion just as quickly as they entered it. In a relatively short time, we are left with brick & concrete hellscapes that are largely being abandoned because developers find it easier (and probably cheaper) to work with fresh land. This Disposable Mentality gets us into obviously environmental and economic messes so often that I am still flabbergasted that the US at large has not adopted a more Reusable Mentality, and incorporated some long-term thinking into their suburban planning.