Inadequate public services for communication

Although many communities are experimenting with systems of communication that direct and organize an ever-increasing information flow to provide what people need in a usable form, many urban residents lack practical communication links with sources of necessary information. They are still hampered by the continuing decline of old information systems, physical isolation of high-rise living and disrupted employment patterns. Technological developments in utilities and services for domestic and industrial uses have not been made available to many rural communities, which often do not have services necessary to meet their present needs. Streets and sidewalks are often crumbling and full of potholes. Some communities have only one road connecting them with the outside world. There is often no public transport - bus services do not go to every community; or even if they do, late night or Sunday services often do not exist, thus limiting outside activities. Families who do not own vehicles must travel at the convenience of neighbours and friends. There is usually only one telephone, resulting in long trips for emergency calls. Such unavailability of basic services leads leads to a growing isolation that discourages the community's involvement in the development that is going on around it.