Urban jungles

A little urbanism can be a dangerous thing. Sometimes all it takes is a patch. In the modern world, for all its cities, there are still many places where one does not need to travel far to meet landscapes of villages, fields, and farm animals. Yet, even there, maybe near a roadside, one can suddenly find an estate dotted with small businesses and workshops – perhaps best compared to the American phenomenon of strip malls, which can be seen in abundance there, particularly when you visit mid-sized and smaller urban centres. The effect can sometime be incongruous: as if a patch of the urban world has crept into an otherwise rural landscape. Catch a ride to the nearest city, and one sees vill