Portugal Builds The City Of The Future
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Though we see futuristic cities in movies, in the real world, things are still pretty low-tech, with every major decision being handled by humans. However, a new city in Portugal promises to change that and usher in what may become the future standard of sustainable urban living.
Dubbed PlanIT Valley, the 4,000 acre test city that is currently under construction in Paredes near Porto in Northern Portugal, is a collaboration between the country's government, Living PlanIT a start-up focused on sustainable living, and technology giants like Cisco and Microsoft. If everything goes according to plan, when completed in 2015, it will be the world's 'smartest' and only city, run by a giant computer with an Urban Operating System.
The Urban OS will work like any other Personal Computer Operating System, running critical functions and in this case also, parsing data from the over one million sensors placed around the city. The information obtained will be used to make decisions about everything, ranging from traffic control to the water and heating systems and also, in dealing with any emergencies that may arise.
If for example, a building catches fire, the computer will not only sound the appropriate alarms, but also, light the way for the safest routes for the residents to escape and, divert road traffic so that fire trucks can access the building rapidly - All with no humans involved!
And, that's not all - In the future, through a system called Place Apps the 225,000 residents of PlanIT Valley will also be able to program their Smartphones to interact with the city's Urban OS and use it for things like switching on the oven or turning down the lights in their homes, from a remote location.
PlanIT Valley is also being built to be as 'green' and sustainable as possible. And, the best part is that this experimental city is not going to cost an exorbitant amount. In fact, Living PlanIT and its partners believe that by using state-of-the-art technology, the construction costs will be lower by between 30-40% that of conventional cities. Not only that, thanks to the automation, it will also be cheaper to maintain. They therefore hope that more countries will follow Portugal's lead in building cities like PlanIT Valley, and help make urban living more sustainable, not to mention cooler, that it currently is!
Resources: BBC.co.uk, Dailymail.co.uk, Living-Planit.com
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215 Comments
- Cassandraover 13 yearswow! If they had this PlanIT valley here before 2001 then in 9\11 not a lot of people would have dyed. This technology will be very helpful in the future. The world will probably will be a lot more safe. I can't believe they figued out how to make an electric city. I think PlanIT valley will work out and it will hopefully be built in a lot of places.
- Lauren Pizzoover 13 yearsWow that is so cool maybe NY can build one of these. I would like to go to Portugal to see it when it is done being built. It looks really cool!!!!
- Emilee/ girls rock!over 13 yearsOMG! i think it would be so cool to have a place like that . mommy i want to go leave my house and live here right here in MY OWN little beach house . now just in TIME to do my fashion trends.
- ☠☠☠JACK☠☠☠skullzover 13 years☠☠☠☠☠☠WOW! Im already starting my christmas list: Dear santa, I WANT THIS Its soo cool how it shows you what to do when the building is on fire.I would like to live there too and be neighbors to DANNY☠☠☠I think it will cost 1 million dollars when it comes out though!☠☠☠.☠☠☠
- morganover 13 yearsWow!I can not believe it. What happens if the power goes out? I want to live in a city like that.
- Emilyover 13 yearsWow a city that is generated all be a computer.I can't wait until 2015 when the cities finished.I wonder who came up with this brilliant idea with fire alarms that show you the safest way out.I would buy a smartphone and turn on and off the lights with it that would be awesome:D.
- Taylor Pandaover 13 yearsCool! I wonder if we could make a minture city controled by a computer. The citizens could be ants and the computer could be a droid. We will connect it to all the building and streets. When we say a comand it shall do that do the WHOLE city. Oh, it shall also have a plastic cover so none can get out. That would be cool.
- madisonover 13 yearsI want to live in PLANit valley it looks like a really cool place to go seee if it all works when its finished!i think it is amazing how you can use your phone to control the lights,telivision,and oven!also it is great that if you cuaght on fire or got in a accident they would send a signal to the fire department and the road would glow to tell people were trhey should go.I wonder what other amazing things this city will have?well it is really cool and in a few years i look foward to see it.
- Chrisover 13 yearsI want to live there. I wonder how long it took them to make it. How much does it cost to live there.It looks like a lot of fun to live there.I wish I can go there over the summer.
- z@(k $$$$over 13 yearsIt is cool how people can make bildings like that. i wonder how the people get up ther. it must be cool to walk up ther