Habitat Aging

> Even without that, some of the early habitats in your game might
last
> longer, even without fundimental changes in human behaviour,
because they
> become important cultural centers, and are therefore worth
maintaining even
> at a net cost. To borrow one of your points, how much does the
Whitehouse
> generate in tax revenue? Yet it is mainttained to a very high
standard.

Right - and so long as the space habitat is getting funding from an
outside source (for whatever reason), there's usually someone who
will push for the politically or economically unpopular job of
making sure that sections are shut down for maintenance, people are
relocated during said shut down, and similar items.

It's only when local autonomy kicks in that the clock starts
ticking...and insofar as the clock ticking goes, 40 to 150+ years
isn't that bad of an ROI.