RE: https://wandering.shop/@charliejane/117453051002778619
I'm gonna write about this for my noozletter soon
But for now I just wanted to say that this short story was more work than a lot of longer works. I did so much research!
What I learned is that there are "smart city" ideas that rely on surveillance and control. The alternative is direct democracy and letting people shape their own city.
I wrote about two self-aware cities that FALL IN LOVE. It's a romance between two very different cities. Can they make it work?
But then... it becomes a love triangle involving a third city -- that's a surveillance dystopia.
I'm tremendously proud of this story -- I can't wait for you to read it!
Like, there is a version of self-aware cities that is incredibly dystopian and actually terrifying period but there's also a version that would be lovely and aspirational. I hadn't expected this like me to become the heart of my story, but it absolutely did.
Hastening to add that this is not an essay – it's a romance, but it's got a lot on its mind