The Economics of Space
Certain industrial neighborhoods fascinate me for the same reason back-alley districts in dense Asian cities do: cheap rent creates space for interesting experiments. When the economics allow it, you get axe throwing next to a distillery next to a blacksmith shop. The same density of unusual offerings that makes wandering through Hong Kong's back alleys compelling.
Industry City has so many cool workshops. These spaces work because rent is cheap enough that niche businesses can survive. A blacksmith shop or an archery range doesn't need massive throughput to cover costs. The same economic principle that creates the dense variety of small shops in working-class neighborhoods of dense cities.
When real estate costs force everything to scale or die, you lose the weird middle ground of "interesting enough to exist, not popular enough to be everywhere." Industrial neighborhoods preserve that middle ground.
Activities
Some hobbies I would like to get into in industry city:
- Axe throwing
- Archery
- Petanque
- Aikido
- Metal forging
- Distilling alcohol