DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Scientifictionist, v. 1, issue 4, April 1946

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Scientifictionist, v. 1, issue 4, April 1946

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provide a network of garages at convenient places...from which automobiles could be had at any hour of the night or day. No automobiles would be privately owned. When one wished to use an automobile he would merely call at the garage, present his driver's license, and a car of the type needed would be assigned to him. When he was through with the car he would return it either to the same garage or to any other garage that happened to be convenient, and surrender his Energy Certificates in payment for the cost incurred while he was using it."
   Thus, the city dweller could pick up a car at his apartment-house garage, drive to his destination, turn in the car at another garage, and forget all about the transportation or parking problem until he wished to return home. (Of course, if the individual still insisted on having a 'car of his own', he could keep out a car as long as he wished -- as long as he continued to pay for its use.)
   Another feature which will affect the transportation problem in cities will be Technocracy's vast Hydrology system. This Continent-wide network of lakes, rivers, canals and other waterways will probably touch most of the major cities in North America. In all such cities included in the network, it may be found practicable to construct a system of canals to supplement the city's streets in handling local transportation -- as well as to provide recreational facilities for city dwellers. Thus, apartment-dwellings may have streets and public transport facilities on one side -- with a landscaped park, a canal and boat-basin on the other. Such apartment dwellers may find it pleasant and practical to commute or take vacation trips in fast, diesel-propelled, 'three-point suspension' hulled boats. Likewise, since the waterways of the Hydrology system will be free of sewage, industrial wastes and erosion silt, it should be possible for city apartment dwellers to enjoy swimming, pleasure-boating, and fishing at their very doorsteps. 
   With all these factors to aid transportation -- efficient public rapid-transit systems, correctly designed streets and walkways, continuous load factors, the 'drive it yourself' garage system, the Hydrology system of water transportation, and the elimination of shoppers and deliverymen by the 'tube' system -- the traffic problem of tomorrow's cities can be completely colved. No longer will there be the nervous strain of driving in congested areas and the terrible annual toll of dead and injured in traffic accidents such as prevails in the Price System today.  
   Another great problem which Technocracy's 'city-planners' must face will be the problem of connecting all cities with an adequate Continent-wide network of trunk lines for traffic, supplies, water, communication, energy, and so on. Few people realize how vital these facilities are to a complex, modern, high-energy city, and how quickly a city would become uninhabitable if any one of these services were cut off. For example, the Natural Resources Committee has pointed out that if anything happened to shut down New York City's seven central power stations -- all seven of which could easily be disabled by an enemy, an earthquake, or flood which might damage their water intakes -- immediately all power, water, sewage and communications would cease; the entire city would be afire within a few hours; huge accumulations of refuse would create epidemic conditions; traffic jams would tie up the few exits of the city; and probably hundreds of thousands of lives would be lost. This whole menace could be minimized, as the Natural Resources Committee pointed out, by simply running a few trunk power lines into the city from the Newark jersey City power network across the Hudson a few miles away. 
   This is exactly the type of thing which Technocracy's city designers will have to include in their plans for the cities of tomorrow. There will have to be lines of supply for all the functional utilities required by a modern city -- not only trunk lines sufficient to maintain it under normal conditions, but 

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provide a network of garages at convenient places...from which automobiles could be had at any hour of the night or day. No automobiles would be privately owned. When one wished to use an automobile he would merely call at the garage, present his driver's license, and a car of the type needed would be assigned to him. When he was through with the car he would return it either to the same garage or to any other garage that happened to be convenient, and surrender his Energy Certificates in payment for the cost incurred while he was using it." Thus, the city dweller could pick up a car at his apartment-house garage, drive to his destination, turn in the car at another garage, and forget all about the transportation or parking problem until he wished to return home. (Of course, if the individual still insisted on having a 'car of his own', he could keep out a car as long as he wished -- as long as he continued to pay for its use.) Another feature which will affect the transportation problem in cities will be Technocracy's vast Hydrology system. This Continent-wide network of lakes, rivers, canals and other waterways will probably touch most of the major cities in North America. In all such cities included in the network, it may be found practicable to construct a system of canals to supplement the city's streets in handling local transportation -- as well as to provide recreational facilities for city dwellers. Thus, apartment-dwellings may have streets and public transport facilities on one side -- with a landscaped park, a canal and boat-basin on the other. Such apartment dwellers may find it pleasant and practical to commute or take vacation trips in fast, diesel-propelled, 'three-point suspension' hulled boats. Likewise, since the waterways of the Hydrology system will be free of sewage, industrial wastes and erosion silt, it should be possible for city apartment dwellers to enjoy swimming, pleasure-boating, and fishing at their very doorsteps. With all these factors to aid transportation -- efficient public rapid-transit systems, correctly designed streets and walkways, continuous load factors, the 'drive it yourself' garage system, the Hydrology system of water transportation, and the elimination of shoppers and deliverymen by the 'tube' system -- the traffic problem of tomorrow's cities can be completely colved. No longer will there be the nervous strain of driving in congested areas and the terrible annual toll of dead and injured in traffic accidents such as prevails in the Price System today. Another great problem which Technocracy's 'city-planners' must face will be the problem of connecting all cities with an adequate Continent-wide network of trunk lines for traffic, supplies, water, communication, energy, and so on. Few people realize how vital these facilities are to a complex, modern, high-energy city, and how quickly a city would become uninhabitable if any one of these services were cut off. For example, the Natural Resources Committee has pointed out that if anything happened to shut down New York City's seven central power stations -- all seven of which could easily be disabled by an enemy, an earthquake, or flood which might damage their water intakes -- immediately all power, water, sewage and communications would cease; the entire city would be afire within a few hours; huge accumulations of refuse would create epidemic conditions; traffic jams would tie up the few exits of the city; and probably hundreds of thousands of lives would be lost. This whole menace could be minimized, as the Natural Resources Committee pointed out, by simply running a few trunk power lines into the city from the Newark jersey City power network across the Hudson a few miles away. This is exactly the type of thing which Technocracy's city designers will have to include in their plans for the cities of tomorrow. There will have to be lines of supply for all the functional utilities required by a modern city -- not only trunk lines sufficient to maintain it under normal conditions, but page 11