This iReport is part of an assignment:
Just Imagine
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Posted May 19, 2008
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Location
Manila, Philippines
Manila, Philippines
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What ever happened to this futuristic mobile home?
This is a picture of GMC's concept truck — combination vehicle and residence — for Los Angeles called the "PAD." This created quite a buzz when it hit the news a couple of years ago. It was basically envisioned by General Motors’ designers as "an urban loft with mobility". While some auto industry folks gave this an official "zero chance of production", the Institute for the Future (IFTF) saw it as a lot more realistic vision of the future than it may at first appear. While some may perceive PAD as a culmination of America’s fascination with SUVs, IFTF’s Technology Horizons program which is focused on the theme of "lightweight infrastructure, considered this as a viable lightweight alternative to the traditional home or apartment. Moreover, if the concept embodied by PAD really caught on, IFTF predicted the emergence of temporary cities; ushering in a whole new form of urbanism based on nomadism and reconfigurable cities. These new infrastructure designs, according to IFTF, will emphasize smaller, smarter, more independent components that can be organized in ways that are more efficient, more flexible, and more secure than the capital-intensive networks of the 20th century. Lightweight infrastructure will allow urban planners to rapidly prototype new forms of settlement as needs and constraints shift from day to day. Talk about trailer parks the size of a city! The only question now is: does anybody know if this concept has actually gone from the drawing board to an actual creation of a prototype? By the way, ITTF is a non-profit research organization located in Palo Alto, California. Founded in 1968, the Institute conducts basic research on the futures of emerging technologies, health, and global business trends. It also works with clients on targeted research projects.
- TAGS:
- justimagine,
- future,
- futuristic_mobile_home,
- trailer_park_cities
- GROUPS:
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