Despite the wishful thinking of evangelicals impatient for the Rapture or deep ecologists who believe that Gaia would be happiest with a thin sprinkling of hunter-gatherers, megacities like Los Angeles will never simply collapse and disappear. Rather, they will stagger on, with higher body counts and greater distress, through a chain of more frequent and destructive encounters with disasters of all sorts; while vital parts of the region's high-tech and tourist economies eventually emigrate to safer ground, together with hundreds of thousands of its more affluent residents.
In "Ecology of Fear," Mike Davis critiques the simplistic notions held by some evangelicals and ecologists regarding the fate of megacities like Los Angeles. He argues that these urban centers are unlikely to simply vanish. Instead, they will persist, facing an escalating series of disasters that contribute to increasing casualties and societal distress. This ongoing struggle suggests that rather than an immediate collapse, the city will gradually change and adapt amidst challenges.
Moreover, Davis notes that as disasters become more frequent and severe, significant portions of Los Angeles's economy, particularly in high-tech and tourism, will migrate to safer locations. This exodus will include many affluent residents seeking stability away from the chaos. Thus, the future of cities like Los Angeles is not just about survival but also involves a transformative adaptation to an ever-threatened environment.
