Pie In The Sky

[talon]

I know - none of this is real or perhaps even possible - given how many nay-sayers there are who would rather be obstructionist than constructionist. It's so much easier to belly ache and whine that to actually do something, isn't it?

Still, I like to ponder what life would be like if people were the reasonable beings they have the capability of being.

In wake of the recent earthquakes, when whole cities have been destroyed, it makes one ponder what it would be like to be able to rebuild those cities in a compassionate and reasonable fashion, using the latest knowledge and technology available.

Mind you - in this exercise, money is no object in building the infrastructure of the cities, even if cost would be a factor in building the residential areas. I'm not going to fantasize about the residential areas beyond the layout - individual homes and rental properties would - in this fantasy world - be built according to the needs and income of the potential residents.

Since we know many of the people left homeless by the quakes are low income people, these homes would be subsidized by the same generous people who rebuilt the infrastructure of the city, although residents would be expected (and would naturally expect) to pay rent or mortgages to live in them.

In my fantasies, things have costs and prices.

Anyway, moving forward into the fantasy:

Essential services would be provided first: sewers built to last a thousand years (or more) through quakes and floods and other natural disasters (war is anyone's guess), water supplies cleaned up and built to withstand natural disasters with minimal interruption. Now would be the ideal time to install green energy throughout the city - solar panels, geothermal energy, wind power (assuming the area gets regular steady winds), nuclear power plants (modern ones are much safer than Three Mile Island), and other appropriate power sources, gridded throughout the main city and the residential areas.

Once the sewers, water, and power are up, the next step is to connect the tent cities where people are still living so they get fresh water, sewer disposal to reduce disease, and power for medical care, lights, food preservation, cooking, and employment - the field hospitals get first dibs, then everyone else.

Now that immediate needs are taken care of (we will assume humanitarian aid is already bringing in food, water, medical supplies, temporary housing, etc.), the next step is to start building the other public buildings, mapping out parks, etc. The first building up should be the maps, permits, and planning/zoning building because from this building all of the city will grow.

Since in quakes, many of the people would be permanently injured through amputations or visual loss or hearing impairments, the entire city would be rebuilt to accommodate mobility devices, dexterity devices, and service animals.

The whole city - indoors and out - would be designed for full access.

As a result, the city would have an open, spacious feel to it with wide side walks, wide parking spaces, ramps, deep and wide entries, and smooth ground surfaces.

It would also be colorful and filled with tiny but important sounds - the warning lights for the hearing impaired and the tiny sounds for the visually impaired, and filled with textures both as visual and tactile guides.

The reason accessibility is so important is because people missing limbs or hearing or sight are still capable people and, in places like Haiti and Chile, they have a lot to contribute with really quite minor adaptations when rebuilding from practically scratch anyway - adaptations that are equally good for the fully-abled.

I've never ambitiously planned out an entire city before, but I've planned out retirement communities for grins and giggles before. I think these disasters are the perfect opportunity to rebuild with complete accessibility.

That would be compassionate, reasonable, and I bet it would be profitable in the long run.

Does anyone plan in the long run anymore?