Jbheffernan - Small Modular Reactors And Other Things
More Posts from Jbheffernan and Others
Dome City Blog 1 - An idea for higher density cities
I have been thinking a lot about what we need for new housing and cities. I have been thinking about this for a number of reasons. One reason is that the UK is critically short of housing. The government and others are keen to see a large number of new homes built. Personally I support this idea. Another reason was my recent visit to Changchun, China. This is a very large city by UK standards. The greater metro area has a population of 7.6 million while the city itself has a population of 3.9 million based on 2010 data. That was the 5th tiime I’ve been to Changchun and I always enjoy my time there. However, I think this is a city ruined by the car. I like to walk or cycle whenever I can. Modern cities, for the most part, make this difficult and unpleasant. It is difficult because of the distances involved and it is unpleasant because cars and pedestrians/cyclists don’t mix so well. In brief here is the questions I am thinking about and some of the answers that I am arriving at. What if we built a city that was housed in a geodesic dome with a diameter of 1km at the base? A geodesic dome has the shape of a half-sphere. It was popopularizedy R. Buckminster Fuller. I have chosen this structural form because I understand that it is very efficient from a structural engineering point of view. I have some simple back of the envelope type calculations to see how many people this city in a dome could house. Assume that we made the thickness of the floors separating levels as 1.5m (5 feet) and that we had clear space of 9m (29.5 feet) between levels. This would provide 48 levels for constructing our city. The land area at the base of this dome is 0.785 square kilometers (194 acres, 78.5 hectares). With the 48 levels as described above the land area available within the dome is 25.3 square kilometers (6250 acres, 2530 hectares). The population density of the the dome were the same as New York City at 27,778 people per square mile (10,716 people per square km) then it could house 271,000 people. With a lower density of say, 10,000 people per square mile (3860 people per square km) then it could house 97,700 people. This lower population density figure of 10000 people per square mile is the almost the same value as for population densities of Miami,Florida and Birmingham, England. I would suggest that there should be a significant green belt around this dome city. I would like to suggest at least 500m of park and wild lands around the base (excepting transport links). I will continue these ideas in my next blog. Dome City - Blog 1 5 October 2014 Joe Heffernan
Posing them will help you find work in two important ways.
Open Water Swimming Sunrise - Emma and I were down for a swim today (5 Jan 17). The sun was just coming up. We were in for about 13 minutes, we swam around 400m. Water temperature 8 degC. The water was really clear, the settled weather the last few days must be responsible. (at Royal West Amateur Boat Club, Greenock)
We went to the Blue Lagoon today. I do love hot springs.
Stacey Hearl and I went down for an Open Water Swim 🏊 today. It was just after the turn of low tide. It was overcast and dead calm. My swim was 448m in 13:49. Water temperature 7 degC. #greenock #rwsabc #openwaterswimming #shoreline #beach (at The Royal West of Scotland Boat Club)
Tonight's sunset at the Boat Club.
BUY land, advised Mark Twain; they’re not making it any more. In fact, land is not really scarce: the entire population of America...
Reflections on Scottish Independence as set out in "A Green Yes"
On September 18, 2014 Scotland will vote whether or not to become an Independent Country. Currently I am reading the White Paper issued by the Government of Scotland titled "Scotland's Future". I am about 45% of the way through it and expect to reflect on it once I have finished it. Currently I am undecided as to how I will vote. That is why I am reading "Scotland's Future".
The Scottish Green Party supports Independence and they have issued a document which sets out their main reasons for supporting Independence. This blog is to reflect on this document.
Extracts from "A Green Yes" that I like:
Whichever way Scotland votes, the referendum will leave some people celebrating, and others deeply dismayed. It’s vital that celebration does not turn into divisive triumphalism. The result will be far more readily accepted by the losing side if the winners act with respect and a constructive spirit; that will be as difficult for some as losing would be. (page 4)
Oil and Gas
Some still make the case for a Yes vote with tired old slogans about “Scotland’s oil”. Even if there was no environmental consequence from burning fossil fuels, Scotland’s remaining reserves would only offer an economic future for a few more decades. Greens want an independent Scotland to be successful far longer than that!
But the hard truth, for all fossil fuel nations, is that we can’t even afford to burn what we have. The world has far more fossil fuel in existing reserves than can safely be used, if we’re remotely serious about preserving a liveable environment. So as well as opposing new extraction from deep-water oil drilling, opencast coal, and unconventional gas technology such as fracking, we need to leave a great deal of our oil and gas in the ground, or support a more diverse range of petrochemical uses which don’t involve greenhouse gas emissions.
Scotland has the skills to do that, and with the usable portion of oil and gas funding public investment in renewables to replace future revenue, we have the opportunity to make this transition rapidly. The UK will only ever see North Sea oil as a revenue source; Scotland could see it as a springboard, taking us from reliance on polluting and finite energy sources to the cleantech of the future. (page 6)
The document "A Green Yes" has the following section titles:
A Green Yes
Could Westminster Deliver?
Will Holyrood Deliver?
Transition
Developing a Constitution
Parliament and Democracy
Currency
Ending the 'Tyranny of Big'
Oil & Gas
Welfare
Closing the Wealth Gap
Peace & Security
Employment
Immigration/Asylum
The document is quite short, only 8 pages long. From reading this document the main points that I take away are:
They remind us that the White Paper sets out the current Government of Scotland's view on what should happen post independence but that post independence these policies would need to be decided democratically by whichever parties form a new government. To that end they state, "The development of a written constitution should be led by a new constitutional convention, to be established before the end of 2014, with political parties involved but not in sole charge.
"A Green Yes" suggests that the Government of Scotland should have a "Plan B" with regards to currency because in the longer term they expect Scotland to have it's own currency and as an interim measure having a "Plan B" would improve the negotiating position of the Government of Scotland when discussing a Currency Union with the Rest of the UK.
"A Green Yes" recognises that if every other oil producing nation in the world takes the view that it is their right and duty to produce every barrel of oil then there are significant implications with regards to climate change. Based on the above extract they seem to have a realistic view that Scotland will not shut down the oil wells the day after independence but are suggesting that after this Scotland should be striving to leave the oil in the ground and using what oil is produced as a springboard to "Cleantech of the future". The document is silent on Nuclear Power but I am not optimistic about the ability of the Scottish Green Party to embrace nuclear power.
"A Green Yes" has a strong emphasis on reducing inequality.
"A Green Yes" reminds me that when/if Scotland becomes an Independent Country that the expectations set out in "Scotland's Future" are uncertain. The future is like that. I would expect that some of the things that Government of Scotland wants will not come to pass or will only be achieved with greater than expected cost. Other things will go better than expected. If we want certainty we are in the wrong world.
I am still undecided about which way to vote in the referendum.
You can find "A Green Yes" at:
http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2013/11/Green-Yes-document.pdf
You can find "Scotland's Future" at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/9348
This is a blog where I can write those things that interest me, including but not limited to, Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Engineering, Open Water Swimming and Economics.
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