I ran across a supercool resource yesterday – a Solarpunk-style High Speed Rail is moving forward in California and you can see a bunch of HD concept art / videos right here! Of course, your first question might be ‘how is this solarpunk?’
The answer is simple. ‘Solarpunk works to address how the future might look if humanity succeeded in solving major contemporary challenges with an emphasis on sustainability, human impact on the environment, and addressing climate change and pollution.’ Human transportation is a necessary part of that future. High-speed rail (HSR) is a sustainable, low-carbon solution to a contemporary problem. Choo choo gonna woo woo!
Yeah, I’m a train nerd, too. Don’t act so shocked. I put the California HSR in the first part of Mesh, remember?
Long story short, I’m jazzed about Asian and European-style transit for America. Overhauling the US goods and service transportation infrastructure will kick us into the second half of the 21st century and I’m all for it.
I want to remind you: Don’t let the hype fool you. California high-speed rail ain’t perfect and there are a lot of problems to be resolved (at-grade crossings? Hello, Homeland Security headache!). They’ve got some kinks to work out, yet. Yet, a simple public transit option to connect the state will do wonders for the local economy, not to mention a reduction in carbon emissions for state-wide travel.
I’m super-happy to see HSR moving forward in California. Another part of Mesh coming to life for all of us.
Write on!
