Future thrills

The recent meeting of the World Trade Organisation was barely noticed. Ministers from more than 150 countries came to Geneva to talk about the international trading system. We have a depression, and the world does not care what the WTO does!

The WTO is working on trade wars, protectionism, export-tax rebates, direct subsidies, unfair trade practices, dealing with complaints, trade disputes and all sorts of trade-laws for the international community. This seems to have worked well.

We had the Doha development rounds to try to reduce tariffs and end discrimination against foreign goods, but with no mentionable results. New deals are being made directly between between countries, fragmenting the world and breaking down the WTO stature and its rules.

Political agendas and priorities change, and a number of big bites are already upon politicians plates: climate, financial crises, re-election (always that), emerging heavy entrants on the world stage.

The big question now is how to increase world trade – trade presumably fosters prosperity. Can the WTO come back in that area? Are the participants willing to let it be a force? Are world leaders willing to let trading start?

Urban visionary Mitchell Joachim
The visionary in urban planning sees stackable cars and houses in trees. Radical thinking in a future green city: Soft and edible cars and new transportation systems, weaving energy-efficient houses into existing trees, making inter-skyscraper blimp ferries.

http://www.terreform.org/

There are many factors to consider: The goal is to reach a better understanding of ecological urbanism and what cities might be in the future: cities should nurture and sustain themselves! Urbanism carries a carbon footprint beyond the physical limits of the city. Future cities will need to be carbon negative, including off-setting the city’s embodied energy – have you seen a thermo-photographed city?

Can cities increase the production of energy, food and improve public health? The heating of a city is not efficient and well understood and waste control is primitive.

Jobs for the urban planners – get going!

Street artist Banksy makes art dangerous (in hiding)

The outlaw street artist has hidden himself because his art is dangerous and has also made him famous! He is a graffiti man, but he has taken to culture-jamming — painting a hole on a West Bank security wall, hanging a “Mona Lisa” with a smile in the Louvre. What can we expect next?

Streets are no longer boring as he works to bring culture awareness back.

homepage: http://www.banksy.co.uk/

Maps of the world are being realized as more and more of the world is being mapped and photographed. Google Maps and Google Earth has already mapped out areas covering half the world’s population and aim to have almost total global coverage in about 5 years. They seem to want the internet to become a mirror world! Or is it virtual reality?

Many good uses can easily be found – The state of California is using it already – Californians are at risk from rising sea levels, a longer dry season has worsened the fire season, less winter snow is harming water supplies. This is illustrated in a Google Earth map unveiled by the state! The edges of San Francisco Bay appear coloured to show the effects of sea level rises of up to 150 cm – San Francisco International Airport would be under water. The map also shows snow density decreases since the 1950s with projections for the future, temperature change, growing fire risks.

http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/index.php

Laser technology will enhance the maps: Light detection and ranging LIDAR will furnish you with a three-dimensional map of the ground and objects on the ground, and can show you changes over time – water, forests, animals etc. Ideas for further use, anybody?

Sweden has started laser-mapping the whole country.