Kermeliotis, Teo. “Catch a train from the sky! How vertical travel could transform your commute.” cnn.com. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., 2 May 2014. Web. 17 May 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/02/tech/catch-a-train-from-the-sky/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
This article talks about the potential development of vertical trains that could be built within major cities in order to effectively utilize space within large metropolitan areas. The vertical trains were envisioned by two UK-based architects Christopher Christophi and Lucas Mazarrasa; their design would run on magnetic tracks, reducing the amount of CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere. The train’s infrastructure would also include a rooftop green plaza. I think the environmentally conscious concept of Christophi and Mazarrasa’s vertical trains would be a good alternative from using fossil fuels, but this project seems as if it’s less about the environment and more so about creating more space within a given city. Although more space is always a good thing within a largely populated area, this source ignores how that newly cultivated space will be used. I automatically assume the space will be used in order to create more consumer-driven venues i.e. fast food chains, retail stores, etc. and not environmentally beneficial sites like parks or nature centers. I think this concept is also problematic because although it comments on the cleaner energy the trains will use, it doesn’t comment on how the benefit of having more space in a given city will be positively utilized to improve the environment. If anything, the creation of more space might further harm the environment, creating more energy-absorbing buildings for people to live in and thus creating more space for society to exploit and overuse energy and non-renewable resources. Also, the presence of these vertical trains doesn’t automatically translate into people actually using them on a daily basis. I think that the route system has to be extremely efficient in order for the majority of a population to stop commuting to work and using these trains instead. The concept, if perfected, is ideal, but it seems unlikely people will be willing to use this new form of transportation if it isn’t extremely easy to navigate and if it isn’t going to take them to their exact destination.
