As to building, the reason it took a lifetime for the Second Avenue Subway to be built was mostly good old traditional urban graft of one kind of another. If you collect a large pile of money, which is what was required for the Second Avenue Subway, things happen to it. However, I think the major problem today with building, very generically speaking, is that people don't agree on what kind of world they want to build. They used to just want stuff and more stuff, but now there are the competing temptations of a cool life, a virtuous life, a fashionable life, and so on. Stuff has become tedious. That's progress for you, I suppose. Incidentally text is more stuff-like than orality (just to make a connection).
As to building, the reason it took a lifetime for the Second Avenue Subway to be built was mostly good old traditional urban graft of one kind of another. If you collect a large pile of money, which is what was required for the Second Avenue Subway, things happen to it. However, I think the major problem today with building, very generically speaking, is that people don't agree on what kind of world they want to build. They used to just want stuff and more stuff, but now there are the competing temptations of a cool life, a virtuous life, a fashionable life, and so on. Stuff has become tedious. That's progress for you, I suppose. Incidentally text is more stuff-like than orality (just to make a connection).
Thank you for this interview and the link to Marc's original article.
I must admit that the your hypothesis about "orality and textuality" cultures looks to me somewhat artificial and unconvincing.