Friday, July 24, 2009

City of the Future: Kodiak, Alaska


Mumbai? Shanghai? Pittsburgh? Which of these great cities will dominate the globe thirty years from now?

How about Kodiak?

Yes, Kodiak Alaska, world's most progressive city.
Located on the United States' second biggest island and surrounded by earth's richest waters, Kodiak is a deep water port par excellence, conveniently located outside the frying pan of the coming global meltdown.

Speaking of which, the rapid retreat of Arctic sea ice will make for a reliable over the top trade route very possibly in the next decade. Look at a globe and you'll see Kodiak sitting midway, like a gas station in the middle of the desert. Already the home of the nation's biggest Coast Guard base and a brand new 600 ton Marine Travelift, Kodiak has two working boat harbors and facilities to accommodate container ships, jet airplanes and rocket ships. And we have our own brewery.

Kodiak's hydroelectric and wind power generation capacities should have it at 95% renewable electricity by 2020. Add a little fish oil capacity and we could be 100% oil independant for our power needs. Take that oil-igarchy.

And the people can't be beat. A remarkably diverse community Kodiak enjoys that camaraderie that comes from being trapped on a merciless rock together. Like inmates at Alcatraz.

Or maybe the last cornered humans in a world overrun by zombie banks.