I think the top bar hive is the hive of choice not necessarily for the urban beekeeper, but for the beekeeper who is interested in keeping bees the natural way, and getting away from all of the industrialization that has been incorporated into the beekeeping industry over the years. Working with top bar hives allows the beekeeper to monitor the bees in a less forced way, and also created the opportunity to learn about how bees naturally build their broodnests and support their colony. While producing slightly less honey, the top bar hive can be much better managed for small cell size to control mite infestations than a lang hive with regular sized foundation. Basically, if you are interested purely in honey, go with the lang hive. if you are interested in beekeeping for the experience and your interest in natural colony development and a return to nature, go with the top bar hive.
justgojumpit