The transportation view of a “15-minute smart city”

Politics and the practicality of independence are incompatible in a tyranny environment. The practical rational of smart city designs were fundamental historically. It’s how western society began; with its transit-oriented land-use design.

There are four types of land-use: nature, agriculture, transit-oriented design, and automobile centric design. Of these four types of land-use, transit-oriented land-use design is specifically designed to encourage high density populations. Its real estate development is vertical. The function of transit-oriented land-use design is to transport large segments of population into high density areas to accommodate commerce and living areas. This type of city design is what built Western Society.

The selling point of ‘smart cities’ is that it sounds intelligent. Conversely, being referred to as stupid is socially unacceptable. An internet search to any of the hundreds of webpages that talk about ‘smart cities’, have nearly the exact same wording. Most of the content has the appearance of being written by artificial intelligence in a manner that glorifies how wonderful utopia is: with ICT and IoT to improve efficiency, sustainability and citizen welfare. You’ll learn also why we need ‘smart cities’ as well as the different technologies used in ‘smart cities’. This interesting methodology of persuasion writing is with the use of acronyms. If you don’t know what ICT and loT are, it's an insolent way of inferring your IQ is lower than those who wrote it. Or it means that writer is oblivious to common decency for humanity. This demonstrates why communication controlled high tech areas which seek control over other people; is untrustworthy to be in charge of anyone else’s life.



The acronym ICT is Information and Communication Technologies, and loT:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_things

The Internet of things (IoT) describes devices with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communications networks. The Internet of things encompasses electronics, communication, and computer science engineering. Internet of things has been considered a misnomer because devices do not need to be connected to the public internet, they only need to be connected to a network, and be individually addressable.

The field has evolved due to the convergence of multiple technologies, including ubiquitous computing, commodity sensors, and increasingly powerful embedded systems, as well as machine learning. Older fields of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation (including home and building automation), independently and collectively enable the Internet of things. In the consumer market, IoT technology is most synonymous with "smart home" products, including devices and appliances (lighting fixtures, thermostats, home security systems, cameras, and other home appliances) that support one or more common ecosystems, and can be controlled via devices associated with that ecosystem, such as smartphones and smart speakers. IoT is also used in healthcare systems.

There are a number of concerns about the risks in the growth of IoT technologies and products, especially in the areas of privacy and security, and consequently there have been industry and government moves to address these concerns, including the development of international and local standards, guidelines, and regulatory frameworks..^[12] In all the attributes to the wording in the dozens of website previews read, there is one word to describe its greatest selling point to the purpose of a ‘smart city’, that word is ‘convenience’. It’s eerie that word is missing. The meaning of all the promotional data comes across more as propaganda, with the word “control” used most often.

As someone being involved 30+ years with the urban development industry, specializing in advanced transportation system technologies, there is one fundamental. All urban growth is based on its primary source of transportation. It’s consistent throughout all human history; walking, animals, trains and now cars.

All the publications show that the foundation to ‘smart cities’ is technology. Substantiating this is the link to USDOT:

https://www.transportation.gov/smartcity

January 28, 2022 - In December 2015, we launched our Smart City Challenge, asking mid-sized cities across America to develop ideas for an integrated, first-of-its-kind smart transportation system that would use data, applications, and technology to help people and goods move more quickly, cheaply, and efficiently.

Please note that this blogpost is on the CATTCC.org website. The website address is the acronym of Center for Advanced Transportation Technology and Climate Choice. Originally the last two words were Climate Change but, too many people have a preconceived determination as to what Climate Change is. The name was changed to deflect negative hostility from CATTCC’s mission. The organization is non-political. It is designed to educate people about advanced transportation.

The USDOT is a government agency of bureaucracy, capable only of promoting the status-quo. If honesty were the intent of bureaucracy, the slogan: Smart City Challenge: Lessons for Building Cities of the Future, would realistic read: How the Government Fails and Nothing Changes Except the Wallets of Key Players at the Expense of the Duped Taxpayers.

This may be viewed as a cynical comment, however; experience is sometimes a harsh teacher. Nonetheless, governments are incapable of creating utopia.

All urban growth is based on its primary source of transportation. A ‘smart city’ has to use an automated fixed rail transit system to be practical. It already has a name: Transit Oriented land-use Design. This allows transit corridors with high density real estate development along the transit corridors. This also allows people who like large farm animal pets to live outside this high-density corridor area. This provides opportunity for sustainable urban growth. It preserves farmland. This is how all of Western Society was built prior to the automobile.

It isn’t a coincidence that all the websites which glorify the new ‘smart cities’, fail to mention any negative aspects. ‘Smart cities’ already exist. Communist China currently engages ‘smart’ technology to control the populous in various Communist cities in China. People are punished for making negative social media comments or having derogatory conversations. They are constantly monitored by ‘smart’ technologies. Any person’s actions or opinions expressing opposition to the Communist government standards are immediately brought to prosecution.

Is having an opinion something that should be stifled? This is what ‘smart cities’ with technology as the fundamental criteria means. Again, all urban growth is based on its primary source of transportation. Without the exact definition as to what mode of transportation will be used as its primary source for mobility, technology; as displayed in Communist China, can only mean citizen control. It literally cannot have any other meaning. History displays and defines that ALL urban growth is based on its primary source of transportation.  

There are follow-up questions to the preceding paragraph. Who are the people talking about ‘smart cities’? The term is political, just like ‘green’. Is this question an attack against ‘smart cities’? In actuality, the concept of ‘smart cities’ is appropriate for advancing technology. The question is, who are the rulers to dictate the intent of technology that is allowed control what people do? Who writes the moral guidelines of social control? I’m too much of a philosopher to believe that bureaucracy can be moral or honest.

Does anyone who professes ‘smart city’ implementation ever talk about the homeless? Or the abuse of drug addiction? Moral guidelines? Religious choice? What do the ‘smart city’ advocates have to say about the human condition of poverty, laziness and criminal intent? ‘Smart cities’ are promoted as utopia. That doesn’t exist with the corruption of power-seeking narcissists and corrupt politicians.

CATTCC is a non-political organization. Its mission is to discover and develop sustainable transportation. The exploration and comments regarding ‘smart cities’ is only to expose that ALL urban growth is based on its transportation. ‘Smart cities’ are based on advances in loT technology with the absence of a mode of predominant transportation.

Building urban areas with transit-oriented designs are advantageous for large city growth. Some people enjoy living in big cities. Other people enjoy rural life.

This, again, points to society’s demand for a brand-new mode of transportation. Something that doesn’t currently exist. As one of the motto’s for CATTCC: the future of transportation floats.

How does a vehicle float? In the same manner that a vehicle has to use efficient energy. The demand from society is a new mode of transportation. A new mode of transportation capable of fast space flight that can provide new territories to explore. Space colonies are practical with quick space travel time.

Controlling the populous is the dream of tyrannical dictators.

Discovery and implementation of a brand-new mode of transportation is the answer for sustainable urban growth.