Someone has to own them. Who gets to decide? Once car ownership is deemed officially wasteful, look for homes to be next, in favor of downtown/inner city high-rise rat mazes. And the public trans everyone is forced to use will always avoid going anywhere near the country estates inhabited by our masters.
Synopsis:
The World Inside
by Robert Silverberg
Earth 2381. Welcome to Urban Monad 116. A lofty spire reaching nearly two miles into the sky, the one thousand stories of this building are home to over eight hundred thousand people living in peace and harmony. In the year 2381, nearly all of Earth’s 75 billion live in the hundreds of monolithic structures scattered across the globe, with the exception of the small agricultural communes that supply the Urbmons with food. Life in Urbmon 116 is highly regulated, life is cherished, and the culture of procreation is seen as the highest pinnacle of god’s plan. Conflict is abhorred, and any who disturb the peace face harsh punishment, to risk being labeled a flippo, for whom there is only one punishment, being sent “down the chute” to be recycled as fertilizer. But inside their glorious world are a few who dare to doubt and dream:
Aurea Holston, a beautiful young bride who fears leaving the only world she’s ever known.
Jason Quevedo, a historian, searches records of the twentieth century hoping to find the root of his discontent with the perfection of Urbmon life.
Siegmund Kluver, a young and ambitious administrator, strives to reach the top levels of the Urbmon?s government and discovers the civilization’s dark truths.
Michael Statler, a computer engineer, harbors a forbidden desire. He dreams of leaving the building, of walking in the open air and visiting the far-off sea. This is a dream he must keep secret. If anyone were to find out, he’d face the worst punishment imaginable.
The World Inside is a fascinating exploration of society and what makes us human, told by a master of speculative fiction.