Erls wrote:So, I got to thinking.. Charis could, with existing technology, turn their capital cities (Both Imperial and Kingdom) into technology demonstrators. While at the same time introducing the modern urban city and providing a well-designed transportation network. I describe what I mean below.
Tellesberg, at least, is
already a technology demonstrator.
Think gas lighting in the streets, regular cisterns holding water with steam powered pumpers for the fire brigade, regularly scheduled railway service to a big central station from other parts of Charis, steam automobiles, Praigyr powered refrigeration gear that makes ice no longer a high priced luxury item imported from elsewhere...
I live in NYC. It developed skyscrapers as a consequence of geography. Manhattan is an island where the scarce resource is land. Buildings grew
up because they
couldn't spread
out. While Tellesberg has been steadily expanding, it has not reached the point of skyscrapers just to hold everyone. They would be expressions of national ego but not necessarily fill a real economic need.
(I grew up in Philadelphia. It had room to spread out. It's a big city indeed, but you don't realize it because it
didn't grow
up. Indeed, it wasn't allowed to - when I lived there there was an unwritten rule that no building could be taller than the top of the statue of William Penn atop the clock tower in the gothic monstrosity that is City Hall. It was not technically illegal, but you would never get a zoning permit to do it. It was only well after I moved to NYC in the 70s that taller buildings began to appear, but the city still preserved sight lines so
where you wanted to build was a factor in whether you could.)
Subways are another
Why? matter. They are useful for commuter transport when your existing road system can't handle the traffic volume, but whether you
can build them will depend on what's under the city. NYC has an extensive subway system under Manhattan Island, but the island rests on a granite tectonic plate. Subways tunnel under rivers to the surrounding boroughs, but are elevated once they emerge. (NYC used to have elevated lines in NYC but they were removed in favor of underground lines because of right-of-way issues.)
Philadelphia's subways are entirely underground but less extensive. There is a main north/south line and a main east/west line. From there you connect to buses and trolleys that serve the rest of the city.
Tellesberg's present commuter needs can likely be handled by replacing dragon-drawn trams with steam automobiles, and
paving what are currently cobblestone thoroughfares. Elevated lines are a possibility, but you face extensive disruption in building them. Where will the lines run? What must be torn down to provide the right-of-way?
And
building subway lines is an enormously complex and fantastically expensive operation. NYC is in the process of building a new tunnel for a Second Avenue subway line. Many residents didn't think it would ever actually happen. It is in process (and I believe parts are operational), but if it is fully completed in my lifetime I'll be mildly surprised.
Charis
could probably do it, but unless it served a purpose beyond "Look what
we can do!", it would arguably be a mistake. Such capital expenditures need to improve the quality of life of those living there. (You may assume anyone living
over the tunnels being dug would think their quality of life had declined significantly.)
______
Dennis