cascadian/ecotopian diaspora

the region from big sur to vancouver is ecotopia. also called cascadia by some.

there are four major metropolitan areas in our region:

San Francisco Bay Area
Portland
Washington/Tacoma
Vancouver

our cities like all modern metropolises will be squeezed by peak oil. eventually, rapidly or gradually, these urban centers will shrink. the hinterlands will bear the brunt of this massive relocation. this will not be pretty.

do we expect the small towns to open their arms to this stream of refugees? will race become a dividing line?

i know that Portland and Washington are overwhelmingly white; here in the Bay Area we have significant diversity. it is not hard to imagine Marin police departments blockading the Richmond bridge and probably the Golden Gate as well. What will become of Oakland? Berkeley?

Fortunately the entire population of ecotopia is relatively small compared to the land area. I believe that the hinterland could successfully absorb and feed the population if the process was well managed. So let us not be caught off-guard. Dialogue is needed.

We need to determine the sustainable carrying capacity of our region. So that we may be able to make compassionate but realistic decisions. For example, Los Angeles to our south is a disaster waiting to happen. The population of this relatively small area is equal to the entire region of ecotopia. How many Southern California refugees can we handle before being overwhelmed? The harsh reality is this: we have real limits on our ability to feed, shelter, and care for people. We need to determine what those limits are...