Ahhhh,
I certainly hope so,
A return to the self-soveriegn city-state of the Middle Ages.
It is how Londo works now...
As a governmental unit perhaps they are more reactive to problems?
Read an interesting article along these lines..

The City of God and the Global City
http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=520

Also,
see recent discussion
http://www.archinect.com/forum/threads.php?id=63655_0_42_0_C

a speculative city run by a private corporation ain't a self-sovereign city-state by any stretch of the imagination.

that ctheory article concludes by suggesting plurality as the means of local governance (and rightly recognizes that sovereignty isn't possible for local city government).

since when have you noticed plurality as a condition or outcome of corporate speculation?

except under the most visionary and convincing leadership, the risk of plurality would seem to be antithetical to the risk-averse nature of for-profit corporations and their mission - to maximize shareholder value.

i get the new york franchise.

"i, lord bossman of archinect, declare that from this day forth, there will be McNew Yorks in every land in which i declare them to exist."

please bring a new dependency on alternative fuels, so these egotistical zealots will once again fade into obscurity.

well they might be offered as a "healthy alternative," similar to the McSalad vs. the McRib

i think i miss mcdonalds

I would like to read the whole article, can you post it dlb ? If the city is "franchised" who is building the infrastructure ? To whom do the denizens pay taxes to ? Its an interesting term but I doubt that the true "franchising" of cities would be feasible in market driven/industrially advanced economies. however, in many countries where the government cannot provide for basic infrastructure, corporate run cities would be a welcome alternative for many.

we have these already. they are called resorts.