 Hari Krishnaa Sep 4, 2017 06:07  | Dear Emil Jacob, Greetings and Thank you for a very Interesting and exciting proposal for this contest. Your design thinking raises hopes for a safe and livable urban habitation in near future. The proposal is comprehensive and provides details from multiple angles. It's also nice to see an Interest in parts of this design from a provincial government in India. I thought there a re gaps in your proposal, which I hope will be helpful. 1. From the proposal, It was not clear how do you propose to use the funds you will gain if you win the adaptation contest. It will be good to clearly articulate how the funds from adaptation contest will trigger mobilization of much larger resources that are required to pursue this mega design project. 2. You have clearly explained how the project should be Implemented in phases. However, the vital question is what is the kind of population you have in mind that project aims to cover In different phases. Population numbers not only Important from a budget perspective but also from feasibility perspective. Innovative habitat and infrastructure design projects like this are relatively easy to experiment in towns with lesser population density. You have Identified India and Bangladesh as possible countries who have a complex urban diversity with very high density of urban population. Please review the feasibility aspect of your plan, which is one of the criteria for judging proposals. 3. Finally, a design is as good as the people it interfaces with. From adaptation point of view, the proposal gains more strength if you articulate Implementation challenges and strategies. How do you propose to advocate this proposal to the local government?, how do you propose to ensure participation of local communities in this design and Implementation?. These are some of the challenges that need Innovative thinking. Thank You and Best Wishes! Hari Krishnaa
|
 Emil Jacob Sep 8, 2017 08:40  | Proposal contributor Dear Hari, My apologies for the late reply. I will try to answer below: 1. I would like to use the funds to set up the The Global Civic Center Initiative and to host meetings with leading representatives from universities such as Harvard and MIT and other organizations to promote this initiative. With good work and some fortune this may initiate contributions which in turn will enable the hiring of staff. 2. Once the blueprint for the CoLab City model is in place following the success of the Global Civic Center, or during its development, the populations for CoLab cities will depend on a number of factors. I understand that in today's world this is an expensive proposition however I look at it in terms of what I see as "human energy" or labor available to build such cities in combination with the available technologies. As such it seems feasible as long as the initial funding and organization is in place. So for starters a city would need a few billion dollars upfront costs to set up attractive infrastructure, of roads, water (desalinated), urban mobility such as the cTrain model, an initial population that provides a demand for various services to attract more people to newly available jobs. From here the growth of the worth of land from zero into tens of billions makes the investment attractive. As for the population it will depend on the initiatives in various countries. In a country like Bangladesh, India, or others that have vast populations at sea level those will be a priority. 3. This is a vital point on which the success is most dependent on. I plan to propose it to governments and corporations as a new site for higher education, research and location for high tech companies. This step is crucial in creating the required critical mass for a healthy start |
Hari Krishnaa Sep 9, 2017 04:17 | Thank You, Emli Jacob and Wish you all the best! |
