3.22.2011

!! what kind of future you want ? ?

URBAN MOBILITY NOW AND THE FUTURE

Living in a place such as Macau for 20 years I could see a lot of differences. More land, new structures, less green spaces, more buildings, more cars, more motorbikes, more people.
On the bright side, streets got cleaner, traffic were some how more organizes, laws were applied and are followed more precisely.

What happened in Macau, I believe it has happen to the whole world.
We are growing up in a world that people are ambitious to have more, in greater quantities and careless about others but themselves.

People are busy all the time. Busy to care, busy to stop, busy to appreciate and look around. Like everyone says and knows, ‘time is money’. The question is, how far and how much of a follower a person wants to be of this saying?!

I believe that if the society doesn't start caring about simple moments in life and appreciate more one another, the world will keep going down…

Therefore in my future perspective, I can talk about the future with a contradicted position towards what the world tend to be in case change doesn't occur.

1-    A busier future
2-    A better future 

For n.1: A busier future

I see people talking less to each other, building an individual society- people commuting on individual vehicles that are already designed ‘for the future’.
By consequence, new infrastructures are going to be built. Holes will be drilled to construct tunnels in order for the cars to commute. People will have a smaller horizon view, due to all the bridges built for people to cross from one side to the street to another.
And if they get an opportunity to ‘cross the street’ and I mean, by walking, I guess that will be a privilege. Designers are developing vehicles that ‘saves people time from walking’ to transport them from their domiciles to the public transportation.
Men are getting smarter with all the education provided until today, but the problem is with what goal will they show to the world what they know?
Men kind with all his knowledge will find a way to his ambitions.
But what will be his ambitious about?!

With up to 80 percent of the world’s humans projected to live in cities within a few decades, their mobility needs will rank high for automakers. Academics and theorists have long predicted that new modes of urban transport would emerge to meet those needs.
 
Here is an example, called PUMMA (Personal Urban Mobility), combining electric drive with both vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications and autonomous driving and parking.



 






Result? Well, Pixar movies already predicted in an animated motion movie, Wall-E, what I believe, a possible future:
Human beings are permanently strapped into car-chairs, and plugged into computer messages. In the film’s futuristic world, people have ceased using, or being able to use, their legs for mobility.


 
For n.2: ‘A better future’

This I believe is if the world truly starts paying attention to what is happening in the world. How Mother Nature is responding to everyone’s behaviors.
Of course, buildings and infrastructures are still going to rise from the ground, holes will probably be done in consequence for a better commuting system for the new population predicted.
But we can make it better. Sustainable ideas can be done and used in everyday’s life.

I want to believe in a future that people will need to share their life style, their ambitions and their behaviors.
A future that once a person does something, he or she is aware that a simple action will affect A or B. And I am not only talking about ‘greener actions’, but also society care for example, to support fair trade.
Awareness and care is all what I believe the world needs to focus on.

As a designer, I don’t want to do things to be rich, or famous. I want to do things that I know it will help someone, somewhere.
If I get the blessing of profiting from that, that is a bonus!!
Imagine if at least 50% of the world could think like that…

Tomorrow I'll post some of my ideas, something that I will focus on for this vehicle design project ;)

Beijinhos xxx
tchau

3.10.2011

Commuting the best way x

Sorry everyone!!
Having been posting anything lately for innumerous reasons, and trust me, this time got a pretty good one!! Anyways, university has started and is my final semester!! Can’t believe I’m going to be graduating soon!! Yohoooo!

This semester we have to develop a design project concerning our commuting life.
We have to not only research about urban commuters but also make one! The project is to design a vehicle that would satisfy the lucky ones here in Macau (China) in 2023, 12 years from now.

Challenging I know, specially because I do nothing concerning automobiles and so on… To be honest, I reaaaaally don’t like anything to do with that. I have my 17-year-old manual car and I never had to change a tire by myself.. I would know how to, but if there is someone willing to help, GREAT! Hehe

So I am striving to find motivation to even start this marvelous project and the only thing that starts my enthusiasm is the idea of developing something to help Macau’s traffic jam and the community.
Develop something that the citizens can be proud by helping the environment and themselves.

Here is a design concept that I found really interesting:

Designed by Jinsik Kim and Boseung Seo, the Re:energy is a concept bicycle that helps you reduce your carbon footprint and generate some power for your handheld devices and notebook computers. The idea behind the Re:energy is simple – you ride the bike and its wheels convert kinetic energy into usable electricity.


 The energy generated by the bike’s wheels is stored in an onboard battery, which can later be used to power your cellphone, MP3 player, GPS unit or even your laptop.











































So yeah, I'll probably be posting stuff about this since I have to do a lot of research!!


Please, if you do have any material or information about urban mobility, feel free to post a comment or something ;)


Take care,
beijos xxx




| images from:http://www.yankodesign.com |