New Eco-cities for a New Year ... and a New Era Dawns.
In a Brave New World,
With Just a Handful of Men,
We’ll start all over again.
With Just a Handful of Men,
We’ll start all over again.
Well, as far as I know, we haven’t been zapped by aliens yet? Although, if you take a look around the planet today, you could be forgiven for thinking we had!
Sao Paolo City
That’s not the worst of it, because by 2030 that figure will rise to over two-thirds of the world’s 7 billion people, (5 billion) all crammed into itty-bitty urban-living sprawl. This is tipped to strain existing infrastructure and resources to the limit, as affluent urban-lifestyles demand more and more, whilst the connection to the land, becomes less and less.
London, now also amongst the most populated (66 million).
Some good news is that growing awareness, coupled with currently available (and previously vaulted) technologies, can now be implemented to help the necessary transformation by; cutting (fossil) energy use, improving water quality, reducing air pollution, and re-diverting solid wastes from landfills (hopefully not all into the oceans?).
Megalopolis - Mexico City
It is here that the tantalizing vision of building ‘green eco-cities from scratch’ has fallen to private developers and been around for decades - concepts now enthusiastically embraced by politicians, urban designers and philosophers alike - in the subdued glare of hazy daylight.
It seems that it is no longer the minority seeing it this way either…
So much so, that one of the largest developers on the planet, Lennar Corporation, is about to create one of the uber-greenest, most sustainable cities on the planet, out on San Francisco’s, Treasure Island.
Treasure Island
Originally built for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition and later claimed as a naval base, this seven billion cubic metres of sea floor soil, sandwiched between 287,000 tons of rock and covered by metres of loam, is about to lead the world in becoming the first (western) proto-type ‘eco-urban oasis’ of the future.
Arial View
Decommissioned over 11 years ago as a naval base and following some 300-odd meetings amongst officials, engineers, architects and the public, a plan has emerged like no other, and it is a bright green one.
The task ahead now is to create a 13,500-person inhabited eco-urban oasis, consisting of the latest technology and natural systems, which are expected to leave only the slightest footprint on Earth, in every respect.
It all begins in 2009, when the little known city will suddenly blossom as a hot-bed and laboratory of 'G' (green) development for all future eco-cities of the world(?).
The other ‘eco-city,’ Dongtan, set to pioneer low impact living is still very much a vision scheduled to start out on Shanghai’s Chongming Island, sadly now considered to be China’s ‘last piece of pristine land.’
In either case, that’s some vision, rivalled only perhaps, by Wayne’s lowly artilleryman and his own timely vision of the ‘Brave New World,’ after the aliens had left.
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I think it'll have to be. It all reminds me of Logan's Run ...
Lilla ...
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Ooooh even just reading this makes my throat close. One thing I have always struggled with is how people breathe in cities, regardless of the polution, in those confined spaces there is nowhere to find air (of a metaphorical kind)
This is very scary - I read an article the other day with some very scary statistics - currently we have around 9 taxpayers to one pensioner, by 2020 it will be down to one tax payer to each pensioner. Scary stuff!
Treasure Island indeed! Hopefully this will be a trend that will catch on... I can`t understand how people are leaving all those wide open spaces for the rat race.... ah well each to their own and more AIR for us who like to still be in touch with the natural world. Australia are implementing quite a few projects to attract people further inland atm.
Ash
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An interesting quandry, no doubt about it. I don't know if you have ever seen Logan's Run (old movie with Michael York), but it certainly set about answering this very question. You should give it a peek.
I know you watched the movie on my previous post about the Codex Alimentarius, where something like, 3 billion will be allowed to die of curable diseases soon, due to a lack of nutritional value in food and supplement availability...(?)
I do not see either of these 'solutions' as viable options.
Natural disease is one thing, but chilling social engineering on this scale is no better than genocide. Who decides who lives and who dies... and who has the right to make that decision?
It would be better to all go back to tilling the land where we stand, I agree. We are very lucky still here in Australia where the population is relatively low... however, if you look at the thin strip of coastline we have to live on that is habitable, not that lucky for too much longer. We need a government who will create a "treasure desert." where people can live in domes (like on mars) ... or create green, growing oasis in the desert, like that sheik did in Israel or Iran somewhere.
Desert industry where massive hydrogen farms create hydrogen to run transport of all kinds... but not just to support SUV's for the corporate high flyers, (which should be outlawed unless you need to transport wheelchairs). A whole army of wasters who contribute nothing to our species or to the planet which supports them. All should be made to equally contribute to some carbon credit system which allows us to have power in the first place. Perhaps through credits earned through some form of community service each week... something which engages all individuals to contribute to the collective good that is greater than all its individual parts.
Of course I would ban TV altogether *giggle*
A Brave New World, alright... and one that will finally be able to side-step the entire industrial revolution. Who knows in time to come, it may seem like it never existed at all and we went straight from an agriculture age to a clean technological one... future generations may even think we were smart *laughs* but like 'the middle ages' are dark to us now, so too perhaps the entire 1800s to 21st Century, when looking back from 3,000a.d. (if Christianity hasn't torn itself apart by then?)
Now that we hve a govenrment who is acutally governing, it is nice to think that we will be able to educate our own people to indland and rural areas, and not import more Dr Deaths...
*getting off the soap box again*
Lilla ...
PS I really hope that the seas don't rise as predicted. Perhaps that's why 300 meetings were held?
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Happy New Year
cheers
Louie
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We'll have a drink on the flight over...
Cheers!
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What an interesting post. I did not know anything about this. Thanks for the link. I hope this "takes" and other developers follow suit! Thanks for this well researched information.
Mis
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The other day I read that the ball that gets dropped in New York to countdown the New Year was going green this year using energy saving bulbs.
But with the blazing lights of New York City in the background, it almost seemed a little pissy.
But the effort should be applauded.
Hope 2008 has been kind to you so far.
Love & stuff
Mrs M
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So do I, although ... I think there is no alternative as the population continues to boom and our current infrastructure is useless when it comes to supporting the word 'sustainable.'
I am glad you are there to be able to watch the updates... perhaps even visit it? Wow, now that would be cool...
Lilla ...
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So true, but you know, you are ahead of the pack here, as I was just researching a whole new genre of light bulb and lighting for the Brave New World and my post should follow today sometimes... if I can get it together? ... so much going on.
I hope the New Year is being kinder to you in R & R availability, than me so far
phew *wiping forehead* going to chase my tail *laughs*
Lilla ...