The City
The suburbs expanded to a point where cities simply became too big. As the climate changed and technology developed, the economy failed, causing an influx of people to the cheaper housing of downtown. Corporations grabbed hold of the opportunity to offer housing to any employees, and with government support of gentrification of inner-city areas, plus the idea that Corporations could hire their own security forces, they created their own district, what would become known as the Corporate Sector. This continued with Non-C forming in response as a place for independent business owners and people who were low level employees of Corporations to live.
The further from the center of the City, the further from Corporate oversight and any influence of the overwhelmed police force. Furthest away are the run down remains of the abandoned suburbs, a breeding ground of violence and cyberpsychotics. The only safe way through the Outskirts is to drive, very fast, in broad daylight. Or, you take a plane to the next City. Some Cities have high speed armored trains. You could of course drive, if you have a car with enough power/fuel to get to your destination, but then you run the risk of meeting Drifters.
The Colonies
The Historic Colonies were founded as a reaction against the sudden influx of cybernetic technology, a rather extreme statement on stopping to think about the implications the technology would have on society and humanity itself. From this start, the Historic Traditionalist movement expanded, and as it grew people began specializing in preservation of different eras, with the idea that we would learn from past mistakes through a thorough understanding of history. This historical specialization eventually transformed into a basic necessity; a Colony may look like Colonial America or like a town from the 1950s depending on the level of technical expertise present in the population, creating an amalgam of eras represented in any single town.
Since computers and other technology have been around from before the invention of cybertech, many people in a Historic Colony can use a computer, with varying degrees of proficiency, provided, of course, that it has a keyboard, and not jacks. If the Colony has the people with the skills necessary, medical technology can be very advanced as far as surgery goes. Concerning pharmaceuticals, there's more acceptance of holistic medicine if it works. Drugs are only used when they absolutely have to be, primarily because of their rarity, but also because the Colonies want to avoid the drug-culture of the City.
Because they are so spread out, the Colonies don't usually have much interaction with each other. This has created a broad range of attitudes toward 'outsiders', from acceptance to hostile suspicion.
The suburbs expanded to a point where cities simply became too big. As the climate changed and technology developed, the economy failed, causing an influx of people to the cheaper housing of downtown. Corporations grabbed hold of the opportunity to offer housing to any employees, and with government support of gentrification of inner-city areas, plus the idea that Corporations could hire their own security forces, they created their own district, what would become known as the Corporate Sector. This continued with Non-C forming in response as a place for independent business owners and people who were low level employees of Corporations to live.
The further from the center of the City, the further from Corporate oversight and any influence of the overwhelmed police force. Furthest away are the run down remains of the abandoned suburbs, a breeding ground of violence and cyberpsychotics. The only safe way through the Outskirts is to drive, very fast, in broad daylight. Or, you take a plane to the next City. Some Cities have high speed armored trains. You could of course drive, if you have a car with enough power/fuel to get to your destination, but then you run the risk of meeting Drifters.
The Colonies
The Historic Colonies were founded as a reaction against the sudden influx of cybernetic technology, a rather extreme statement on stopping to think about the implications the technology would have on society and humanity itself. From this start, the Historic Traditionalist movement expanded, and as it grew people began specializing in preservation of different eras, with the idea that we would learn from past mistakes through a thorough understanding of history. This historical specialization eventually transformed into a basic necessity; a Colony may look like Colonial America or like a town from the 1950s depending on the level of technical expertise present in the population, creating an amalgam of eras represented in any single town.
Since computers and other technology have been around from before the invention of cybertech, many people in a Historic Colony can use a computer, with varying degrees of proficiency, provided, of course, that it has a keyboard, and not jacks. If the Colony has the people with the skills necessary, medical technology can be very advanced as far as surgery goes. Concerning pharmaceuticals, there's more acceptance of holistic medicine if it works. Drugs are only used when they absolutely have to be, primarily because of their rarity, but also because the Colonies want to avoid the drug-culture of the City.
Because they are so spread out, the Colonies don't usually have much interaction with each other. This has created a broad range of attitudes toward 'outsiders', from acceptance to hostile suspicion.