Human Behavior in Space

--- In spacesettlers@egroups.com, "Ed Minchau"
> For some of the experience of an arcology, visit one of the mega-
> malls, like Mall of the Americas or West Edmonton Mall. I worked in
> West Edmonton Mall for over a year. The place is HUGE. Over 5
> million square feet; 800+ shops; a hotel; a waterpark with a wave
> pool and 13-story waterslide; an indoor saltwater lake with
dolphins,
> a full-sized replica of the Santa Maria and six submarines (more
> subs, by the way, then the entire Canadian Navy); a miniature golf
> course; an amusement park featuring a triple-loop rollercoaster; the
> world's largest McDonald's; an NHL sized hockey rink; and of course
> the world's largest parking lot. If they added apartment complexes
> and a hospital, you might never have to go outside again. The whole
> thing, parking lot and all, sits on an 8 block by 8 block square.

You would also have to add industry, financial centers, and the like.
You would have to require that any residence must leave the premises
if they are not employed in the arcology because there is no way to
commute to another on.

The arcology idea is okey if you can physically create a self
sustaining economy. I would be willing to beilieve that would put the
population of the arcology well into the million people with all the
problems associated with a city that size. You could plan it properly
to have 24 hour public transportation supported by the arcology. The
longest I would tolerate is about an hour commute either way.

>
> West Edmonton Mall starts to feel crowded when there are more than
> 100000 people inside the building. Granted, only a few hundred are
> living there at any one time in the hotel, but that is still a lot
of
> people in one building.
>
> :) ed
>
> --- In spacesettlers@egroups.com, "Darren Brown"
> > --- In spacesettlers@egroups.com, Al Globus wrote:
> > Al,
> >
> > First let me say I'm sorry to heard that your wife has a
> disability.
> > I'm pleased to say that today we are able to do much to enable
> > anybody with a disability to more fully participate in society and
> > this is a trend that is continuing, I have also seen signs of
> greater
> > acceptance in the general population but there is still a lot to
do.
> >
> > So let's have a look at your points and I will grant you that on
> the
> > surface they are reasonable ones. When my wife does the shopping
> for
> > the groceries (Stop, before you make any comment about it being
the
> > wife doing the shopping, let assure you it's only this way because
> > she works part time and is at home when it is most convenient to
do
> > the shopping and I am not, when I am home, rarely, I also do it,
> > besides she doesn't agree with me about what is best to buy), she
> > buys enough to last for the fortnight, now, but when we were first
> > married we would only get enough to last for a few days. The
> reason
> > for the change, is the distance to the markets and changes in our
> > lifestyles over the last twenty years. A very good friend and her
> > husband for a time lived on a navy base and while there, they
> seldom
> > if ever went shopping, rather they formed local groups (in most
> cases
> > of the 5-8 houses nearest) and made bulk orders from the Navy
store
> > and had it delivered. One of my wife's friends lives with her
> > husband on a large farm in upper New South Wales and they go
> shopping
> > for most items only twice a year and then have the lot shipped out
> to
> > the farm in a large truck, only going into town for a few staples
> > once a week or so. Each shopping strategy is different in
response
> > to the situation the couples find themselves in. People are very
> > adaptable and change patterns of behaviour to suit the moment.
> >
> > Now, with no disrespect to either you or your wife, you may find
> that
> > in a WELL (and that's the key word) designed arcology some of the
> day
> > to day problems people with a disability face may disappear of be
> > greatly reduced. Take your example of shopping with an infant, a
> two
> > year old and a handicap that limits mobility. You are right, this
> > would be a daunting undertaking but it is so now.
> >
> > In the shopping centre nearest to my house they have a very cheap
> > child minding centre where a parent can safely leave any children
> > while they go shopping, the centre management underwrite the costs
> > because it attracts harried mothers. This could just as easily be
> > applied to an entire arcology, in fact it is easier, if I wanted
to
> > put a crche within a ten minute walk of every house in Canberra
> then
> > I would need hundreds, perhaps thousands of them and for certain,
> not
> > all would have enough children to make them viable, in the
> arcology,
> > I would need only a handful.
> >
> > Travel within the building would be very much like moving around
> > inside a large shopping mall. If the person was so disabled that
> they
> > could not browse a shopping centre then moving around the arcology
> > would present the same barriers. If we look at a simple shopping
> > trip in a normal city and in an arcology (granted, not all cities
> or
> > for that matter arcologies are equal but this is the best I can
do)
> > side by side you will see the advantages (I hope;-). In the city
> you
> > leave your house and get into your car to drive to the shopping
> > centre, you look for a park and exit the car, enter the shopping
> > centre, browse the shops and make purchases, carry your purchases
> > back to your car and return home; in the arcology you leave your
> home
> > and walk to the elevator or if disabled ride your electric scooter
> > (the small one person, tricycles that have a walking pace top
> speed)
> > to them, the elevators need to be large and they need to build
> ramps
> > rather than stairs, go down a few floors and walk 400 metres to
the
> > commercial area or again ride the scooter, enter the shops and
make
> > your purchases and then return home. Now here is where the
> arcology
> > is the better option, if you had taken the children with you,
there
> > are no roads with speeding cars and by clipping a small passive
> radio
> > tag to the child they can not run away and get lost. If you are
on
> > the scooter, the same lack of cars removes the biggest single
> danger
> > to you. If your package is too large to carry then you have it
> > delivered by way of robotic carrier, this can be a pneumatic
> > (lockable for the paranoid) tube or if you don't want to use that
> > much space how about a sealed box attached to a mobile unit that
> > follows imbedded guide wires to your house.
> >
> > The key to this is to make sure that the corridors that wind
> through
> > the arcology are wide enough and here what's best has to battle
> with
> > the developers desire to put as much income generating space in as
> > possible and each square metre of service space and corridor is a
> > square metre less of income space.
> >
> > I think that arcologies are a better option for those who for
> reasons
> > of age, physical limits or the need to care for children, they
> > require no more effort than a regular city and offer more in the
> way
> > of advantages.
> >
> > Darren Brown
> >
> > DB:
> > The advantages [of an arcology] are that you would not need roads,
> > elevators, travelators (moving sidewalk's) and just walking would
> be
> > all
> > that is needed, with the longest average distance in a single trip
> > being
> > only a kilometre or a ten to twenty minutes.
> > AG:
> > Try that with a week's worth of groceries, an infant, and a two-
> year
> > old. Or try it if you're severely handicapped (as my wife is).
The