I agree with Mason. I mentioned Mumford et. al. is a call for balance. I think that there is a tendency to give too much credit to urban contributions. Society tends to subsidize urban pleasures -- schools, libraries, theater . Not surprisingly, some of the best and the brightest leave for the cities, creating a brain drain. I understand why there are economies of scale for such institutions. I also wonder how pleasant New York City would be if it had to dispose of its own waste products locally. I also appreciate Jane Jacobs' work. Cities do have obvious attractions. The close contact with other like-minded people can provide scintillating relationships and can produce obvious technological advances. Like Mason, I just think that we could use some more balance. Michael Perelman