The ecovillage concept is getting some attention at the moment.
One of its potential drawbacks, to me, is that it looks like it will need quite a lot of focus and intentionality from the people living there. Or perhaps that’s a feature?
https://www.fastcompany.com/90207375/the-worlds-first-high-tech-eco-village-will-reinvent-suburbs
I’m reminded of the state of decay that seems to affect a building’s water features over time. Like the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, which was surrounded by delightful pools and cascades when it was new, but eventually they became unmaintained and (last time I looked) were just sad empty tiled spaces adorned collecting dust and dead leaves, permanently switched to drain immediately.
I saw a similarly disconnected fountain structure in an apartment block we were staying in in Warsaw last week and then plans for a 100m cascade off a tower block in China and realised that these great architectural visions require substantial maintenance, and without an ongoing commitment to maintenance they will almost always fall victim to some short-term budget cuts that eventually become long-term, extending perhaps to permanent, or perhaps occasionally to renovation.
If we even lack the will to invest in the future of our societies by placing the health, education and wellbeing of our citizenry above the priorities of some rent-seeking individuals and corporations, how can we be expected to maintain the “high-tech” of an eco-village such as these?
Still, if anywhere can make these things work at scale it will be a place like the Netherlands. They have the population density already, as well as extensive experience with large scale indoor agriculture, and maintenance of a precarious environmental situation requiring their ongoing attention to detail in maintenance; planning just in order to keep large parts of the country from inundation…
I’m reminded of the state of decay that seems to affect a building’s water features over time. Like the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, which was surrounded by delightful pools and cascades when it was new, but eventually they became unmaintained and (last time I looked) were just sad empty tiled spaces adorned collecting dust and dead leaves, permanently switched to drain immediately.
I saw a similarly disconnected fountain structure in an apartment block we were staying in in Warsaw last week and then plans for a 100m cascade off a tower block in China and realised that these great architectural visions require substantial maintenance, and without an ongoing commitment to maintenance they will almost always fall victim to some short-term budget cuts that eventually become long-term, extending perhaps to permanent, or perhaps occasionally to renovation.
If we even lack the will to invest in the future of our societies by placing the health, education and wellbeing of our citizenry above the priorities of some rent-seeking individuals and corporations, how can we be expected to maintain the “high-tech” of an eco-village such as these?
Still, if anywhere can make these things work at scale it will be a place like the Netherlands. They have the population density already, as well as extensive experience with large scale indoor agriculture, and maintenance of a precarious environmental situation requiring their ongoing attention to detail in maintenance; planning just in order to keep large parts of the country from inundation…
A friend of mine has just got a job in Amsterdam, and he has described to me how the polder system requires people to work together – so the Dutch are just naturally really good at that. So, as you say, they’re more likely than most to be able to make it work.
A friend of mine has just got a job in Amsterdam, and he has described to me how the polder system requires people to work together – so the Dutch are just naturally really good at that. So, as you say, they’re more likely than most to be able to make it work.
Flint, Michigan, United States, has not had potable water since 2015. The water has a very high level of lead. The federal government has stepped away from it completely now.
Flint, Michigan, United States, has not had potable water since 2015. The water has a very high level of lead. The federal government has stepped away from it completely now.
Having worked for my city’s water, wastewater, and stormwater organizations, specifically on software for maintenance, I know how much effort goes into keeping that infrastructure running. But if you do it right, nobody notices – so it’s not politically spectacular, unless it fails.
Having worked for my city’s water, wastewater, and stormwater organizations, specifically on software for maintenance, I know how much effort goes into keeping that infrastructure running. But if you do it right, nobody notices – so it’s not politically spectacular, unless it fails.
I believe part of the uproar for Flint is it has been three years, with no solution in sight. Flint’s population is 102,000. That’s a big number of people to leave without answers.
I believe part of the uproar for Flint is it has been three years, with no solution in sight. Flint’s population is 102,000. That’s a big number of people to leave without answers.
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