Abstract of the Future City
of Decodelphia
Decodelphia, an agricultural center, was constructed within ten years in response to global climate shifts that had produced regional food shortages. Because Decodelphia's purpose is to grow, process, and export agricultural products worldwide, the Decodelphian population of approximately 166,000 is concentrated in a central location, so that the remaining adjacent acreage can be used for agricultural production. Decodelphia is an independent political entity that is owned by a federation of countries, which provides the funding for the city.
Decodelphia’s infrastructure is unsurpassed. Because Decodelphia is located on the ocean, its primary energy source is a hydroelectric system called PITHONS (Power-generating, InterTidal, Hydro-Oceanic, Neritic System). The PITHONS, located on the continental shelf of the ocean, use wave energy to move pistons and generate electricity. Decodelphia also captures solar energy using SunWicks, large columns covered with photovoltaic megacells. Wind farms also contribute power to the city.
Decodelphia has two primary means of transportation: a mass transit system, BLAZRSystem (Bi-Level Automatic Zero Resistance System), and a personal transportation system, E-PAV (Electronic Personal Automatic Vehicles). The BLAZRSystem allows large numbers of people to travel on a monorail above ground while goods and raw materials are shipped on a parallel underground system. For personal transportation, Decodelphians travel in E-PAV's. When using E-PAVs, the customer simply swipes a card, selects a destination, and takes a seat in the private vehicle. The computerized system then delivers the passenger to the destination.
Decodelphians communicate using the convenient WiMAX, (Worldwide Interoperability Microwave Access) system. WiMAX, a descendant of earlier Skype software, is supported by advertisements so as to provide convenient communication at no cost.
The water supply in Decodelphia is from underground springs and Decodelphia’s desalinization facility. The city sewage treatment is state of the art, having a bio-fuel cell that utilizes a bacterium that feasts on sewage and wastewater to generate enough electricity to power Decodelphia’s desalinization plant. The bio-fuel cell also produce potable water in the process.
As a manufacturing city, Decodelphia specializes in agricultural and farming production. Decodelphia also designs and produces state of the art agricultural tools and implements.
Decodelphia boasts an excellent educational system, including the world's leading Agricultural Research Center of Decodelphia University, and the Deco Culinary Institute. The city is also home to the world-famous Agricultural Heritage Museum.
Numerous recreational facilities offer a variety of activities. Many have been designed to allow full participation by all of our residents. For example, the physically disabled can access Decodelphia's pools by using a chair lift or hydraulic floor. The pools are not only handicapped accessible, but they are also Olympic size so that competitions can generate tourism.
To satisfy the appetite of the citizens and tourists, Decodelphia features numerous restaurants, which offer nutritious, delicious meals from cultures all over the world. If you need to get away from the bustling urban life, the Decodelphian beaches are the perfect vacation spot. Decodelphia is a great place to live, and it is feeding the world!
Creating an Engineering Feasibility Plan for a Specific
Redevelopment Area in Decodelphia
Decodelphia, population 166,000, is an agricultural response community designed and created to alleviate food shortages created by changing climates. Developers in Decodelphia want to build a large, multi-screen theatre. An urban infill site was identified as a good location for this commercial development. The proposed site is a commercially zoned, five-acre rectangular lot, flat with a grade of less than 5%. This site is an abandoned strip mall contained a restaurant, grocery store, and gas station. This feasibility study will assess: 1.) availability of water and sewer utilities, 2.) transportation access, and 3.) soil composition, including analysis of possible contaminants on the sight.
Because the movie theatre complex will have food service and will accommodate up to two thousand customers, it must have an adequate supply of potable water and sufficient sewage treatment. Some water for the site can be supplied from a small, existing underground spring. At least eighty percent of the water used, however, should come for Decodelphia’s desalinization plant. Environmental engineers have determined that using the desalinization plant as the primary source of water will avoid emptying the aquifer and will decrease the risk of ground pollution in the potable water.
Due to the large number of customers expected at the site, environmental engineers also recommended that Decodelphia's offsite sewage treatment facility should be chosen over an onsite facility. Offsite sewage treatment is preferable due to Decodelphia’s existing state of the art facility. This facility utilizes a bio-fuel cell, designed by engineers at Pennsylvania State University, in which bacteria feasts on sewage and wastewater to generate enough electricity to power Decodelphia’s desalinization plant.
Easy access to a theatre complex is essential. Most customers will be traveling from the city’s population center to the theatre located on the outskirts of Decodelphia. Access to the redevelopment site is available by three means of transportation: BLAZRSystem mass-transit, walking, and personal vehicles. Customers residing in the population center of Decodelphia can quickly travel to the theatre complex using the monorail segment of the BLAZRSystem which is adjacent to the proposed site. The customers who live closer can walk. Those who do not have easy access to the monorail can travel by electronic personal automatic vehicles (E-PAV’s). Because all of the surrounding roads and pavements are less than two years old, transportation to the facility is ideal. Construction would be required to add a BLAZER stop connecting to the lobby of the theatre and on/off ramps for the E-PAV’s.
This proposed site is a brownfield, an abandoned commercial facility where redevelopment is complicated by environmental contamination. Three hundred tons of contaminated soil, two aboveground and two underground storage tanks have been removed. An underground storage tank compliance upgrade was conducted and contaminated soil was discovered.
Because this site will be used for a commercial development, including food service, decontamination of the soil is crucial. Soil analysis determined that the site has multiple soil layers with an under layer of bedrock. Groundwater contamination has been discovered. Two monitoring wells will be installed to assess the groundwater.
Options for treatment of the contaminated soil include on-site bioremediation (aeration) or use of an original BioDegrader. Bioremediation is the application of natural biological processes to enable reclamation of contaminated soil, groundwater and effluents. Original BioDegraders will be produced from active bacteria at the site.
Although pollution and contamination from the tanks will complicate the redevelopment process, the land can be treated and monitored over a five year period making the soil adequate for the building of the movie theater complex.
Environmental engineers played a crucial role in this feasibility study. They not only developed most of the criteria for this feasibility study, t hey also evaluated the existing pollution controls and the waste disposal management. Environmental engineers helped design and maintain the desalinization facility and the wastewater treatment systems of Decodelphia. They were instrumental in contracting with a geotechnical firm for the soil analysis of the site.
After careful study, we conclude that this property is a feasible site for building the proposed theatre complex. There are adequate water and sewage facilities, it is easily accessible, and although somewhat problematic, the soil composition presents no problem to proposed development of the site.
Bibliography and References
Aecos Inc. Innovative Wastewater Treatment Solutions- FAQ. AECOS Inc. 12/22/05.
www.aecos-inc.com/faq.htm.
“Brownfields.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 12/22/05
www.epa.gov/ebtpages/cleabrownfields.html.
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. "Wastewater: On-Site Wastewater System(Septic Systems)." 12/4/05 www.deq.idaho.gov/water/prog_issues/waste_water/onsite_septic_systems.cfm.
Gaylord, Bill. “The Three C’s of Urban Infill.” Urban Development. 1/1/06. www.djc/news/re/11161831.html.
Gorman, Rachael Moeller. “Can Smart Dust Detect Bio Attack?” Discover. 12 2002: pp. 13.
Kruglinski, Susan. “Love That Dirty Water (It Can Power Your Home).” www.discover.com/web-exclusives-archive/love-that-dirty-water0930/
“Superfund, Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 12/22/05 www.epa.gov/superfund/whatissf/sfproces/rifs.htm.
Taxi 2000. "Introducing SkyWeb Express. A Revolution in Urban Transportation." Skyweb Express. 1/2/06. www.skywebexpress.com.
“Underground Storage Tanks.” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 12/22/05
www.epa.gov/swerust1/rags.index.html.
