The Venus Project

[Graham]

Has anyone looked into this?

http://www.thevenusproject.com/
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/The-future-that-Humanity-Deserves
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7065205277695921912

What does everyone think about this?

[Squid]

It sounds great on the surface but the sheer logistics of making such gigantic transformations is staggering.  Along with this change in culture must come change of human behavior and natural predispositions and evolution has a long start of old Fresco's ideas.  The Venus Project thing has been around since the 1970's and as far as I know it hasn't gotten anywhere because there's no one to figure out how to get from where we are to Fresco's utopia least of which is Fresco himself.  

It's nice to dream and have vision but pragmatically this idea will not see any real progress until someone steps up to the plate to do all the dirty work and this seems way too risky a project to consume one's self in. I think Fresco is more dreaming than anything and will never see his ideas taken seriously no matter how good a story they make.  It's not that people wouldn't like for all this to occur, it's easier to change cultures, economies and organizations than it is to change human nature en masse.

[Graham]

That is very true. It kind of makes me wonder what everyone is going to be doing if they aren't forced to do something. Some people would probably just drift through life but that's difficult to say. The design models are a bit far fetched as well; a little too sci-fi to be realistic. There are no inside views either which makes me wonder if the buildings actually work. I don't think that two people can design an entire civilization for everyone to live in without it being flawed or real. Maybe if there were a teams of engineers and architects and assigned separate projects because it is a huge project.

[Wechtlein Uns]

The redesign or change of entire cultures has happened before, usually by force and threat of death from another culture.  

[4DeepThought2]

This idea reminds me of the supposed mega pyramid that is in the works for Japan. It is a pyramid that will be eco friendly, modern, self sustaining structure that will adress congested living area problems for humans...wonderful science but it is expensive and like this not probable.....at least for the pyramid not probable in the next decade or so. Very cool idea though, this Venus Project.