Megacites on the move: aka the end results of UN Agenda 21, 28 years from now.

[Xhin]

If you do nothing else today, please watch these videos. They're only about 4 minutes apiece, so they don't take long to watch.

These are basically four possible scenarios of life in 2040, depending on the amount and type of "smart growth" cities utilize. These are supposedly not depictions of desirable futures, but the website says:

"Megacities on the move sets out to find solutions to one of the biggest challenges – how billions of city-dwellers can access what they need without putting intolerable strains on the planet. It focuses on how to achieve sustainable urban mobility, looking at all the ways in which people will access goods, services and information and make contact with each other. It goes beyond transport to consider ICT solutions, innovative urban design and much more. "

There's also this lovely tidbit from the PDF: "As well as switching from cars to more low-carbon
vehicles, cities need to think about ways in which
mass behaviour and social norms can be influenced
to get people to think beyond their current patterns
of travel and ways of living."

Anyway, here's the videos:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnDWsTD9jE4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XfIsOk-wzo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0lfDsiMD0g


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7rCAYkoMT0

Summary Website: http://www.forumforthefuture.org/project/megacities-move/overview
PDF: http://www.forumforthefuture.org/sites/default/files/project/downloads/megacitiesfullreport.pdf

[rolik]

dont get tricked into this propaganda

[John F Kennedy III]

Bookmarked to watch later. Thank you for posting :)

[Bossobass]

Where are they hiding all the nuke weapons, submarines, fighter jets, tanks, missiles, guns, shells, choppers, LSTs, aircraft carriers, HumVees, AWACs, laser cannons, rail guns, flame throwers, bunker busters, drones, tasers and stealth bombers plants in those Agenda 21 papers and videos?

Bosso

[John F Kennedy III]

bump

[Working Poor]

OMG cry freedom ghettos

[NoOneButPaul]

Everything he said in the first 11 minutes I thought was spot on...

But saying we can win by convincing the Romney delegates to vote their conscience by invoking rule 38 because Romney is a RINO is kinda crazy...

The GOP base might not have passion behind Romney but his delegates might.

He also isn't considering that Ron simply may not want to win this way.

[PatriotOne]

Scientists plan $1b ghost town

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/05/12/scientists-plan-1b-ghost-town/

A scientific ghost town in the heart of southeastern New Mexico oil and gas country will hum with the latest next-generation technology -- but no people.

A $1 billion city without residents will be developed in Lea County near Hobbs, officials said Tuesday, to help researchers test everything from intelligent traffic systems and next-generation wireless networks to automated washing machines and self-flushing toilets.

Hobbs Mayor Sam Cobb said the unique research facility that looks like an empty city will be a key for diversifying the economy of the nearby community, which after the oil bust of the 1980s saw bumper stickers asking the last person to leave to turn out the lights.
It brings so many great opportunities and puts us on a world stage," Cobb told The Associated Press before the announcement.

Pegasus Holdings and its New Mexico subsidiary, CITE Development, said Hobbs and Lea County beat out Las Cruces, for the Center for Innovation, Technology and Testing.

The CITE project is being billed as a first-of-its kind smart city, or ghost town of sorts, that will be developed on about 15 square miles west of Hobbs.

Bob Brumley, senior managing director of Pegasus Holdings, said the town will be modeled after the real city of Rock Hill, S.C., complete with highways, houses and commercial buildings, old and new. No one will live there, although they could as houses will include all the necessities, like appliances and plumbing.

The point of the town is to enable researchers to test new technologies on existing infrastructure without interfering in everyday life. For instance, while some researchers will be testing smart technologies on old grids, others might be using the streets to test self-driving cars.

"The only thing we won't be doing is destructive testing, blowing things up -- I hope," said Brumley.

Not far from the Texas border, Hobbs has seen new growth in recent years but local leaders have been pushing to expand the area's reputation to include economic development ventures beyond the staple of oil and gas.

The investors developing CITE were looking for open spaces. Brumley said his group scoured the country for potential sites, "but we kept coming back to New Mexico. New Mexico is unique in so many ways."

One big plus for New Mexico was its federal research facilities like White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico and Los Alamos and Sandia national labs.

Gov. Susana Martinez joined officials in announcing final site selection for the project, which she hailed as "one of the most unique and innovative" economic development projects the state has seen. She noted that no tax breaks were given for the development. "The only thing they have asked for is guidance," she said.

Brumley said plans are to break ground on the town by June 30. The initial development cost is estimated at $400 million, although Brumley estimates the overall investment in the project to top $1 billion.

The project is expected to create 350 permanent jobs and about 3,500 indirect jobs in its design, development, construction and ongoing operational phases.

Hobbs, a community of about 43,000 people, currently has two non-stop flights from Houston each day and is working on getting daily service to Albuquerque and Denver.

The mayor said discussions for the new flights have just started but having the research center may bolster efforts to connect Hobbs to more cities

[QueenB4Liberty]

Yeah these videos are so weird.

[Simple]

Megacities are all mapped out here:

http://america2050.org/

[PatriotOne]

Megacities are all mapped out here:

http://america2050.org/

It should give everyone cold chills down their spines knowing that America 2050 is supported by the The Rockefeller Foundation.

[Xhin]

Rapid population growth and demographic change
Global climate change
The rise in foreign trade
Sprawling and inefficient land use patterns
Uneven and inequitable growth within and between regions
Infrastructure systems that are reaching capacity
The emergence of megaregions


A Better Tomorrow is America 2050's program to engage the public in creating a positive vision for the future of America built around investments in sustainable transportation and livable communities.

It's hard to tell what the purpose of these organizations really are. There's too much emphasis on policy changes and "influencing social norms" for them to be purely research-based, but not enough of it and too many disclaimers for it to be actively advocating these models.

Personally, I have no problem with large-scale socialized transportation. It could do a lot of good for the country as a whole, and there are a few ways to make it compatible with libertarian beliefs (my model of libertarianism actually requires it). I especially like the vac-train idea; it does to transportation what the internet does to communication and with current technology, could be funded on about half of what America owes in debt. The way it's looking though, China will be the first to implement (easy to do in a Communist country) and reap its rewards.

The problem I have with socialism and leftist ideologies in general is the use of force to get people to change their lifestyles to whatever your beliefs are. If your progressive idea isn't getting the support you want, then maybe it sucks so maybe it would be a good idea to re-evaluate it instead of forcing it for "the greater good".

[Xhin]

bump