Saturday, September 02, 2006
SHOWCASE TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS FOR SCOTLAND I
This is something I have been pottering with. Many of them are ideas I have mentioned here before. Most of them could be adapted elsewhere. There are 30 in all.
Zero or negative cost
1) Instead of paying for the Red Road flats to be demolished give them to their occupants, on condition they
sign up to a good factoring agreement. Any unoccupied flats or where the occupants choose to be rehoused rather
tha ownership to be offered free to neighbours or sold at auction. These flats used to be Europe's highest
& are still impressive. It would be interesting to see if private owners & private enterprise can run them
more succesfully than the Council or GHA. Require the same ofer to be made for any other blocks of flats
which GHA wish to demolish.
2) Paint a big orange line along the pavement between Glasgow Central & Queen St stations with the distance in
metres written so that strangers know the way.
3) Immediately allow First the right to run a hovercraft across the Forth to Edinburgh - skip planning controls,
environmental impact statements, inspections, long lunches discussing it etc etc. 16
Under £100,000 (administratiion costs only)
4) Run a public competition for proposals to showcase technology projects costing under £1 million.
5) Invite tenders for the building of an arcology (a town enclosed as a single building) of 10,000 homes
somewhere in the Highlands or Borders with a low population. Such an arcology not to be subject to any planning
permission but must carry long term building insurance.
6) Pass a motion in Holyrood stating that we have a national goal that Scots should be at the cutting edge of
scientific achievement & Scotland should, proportionately to our size, contribute to space development at
least as much as any nation even Singapore.
Zero or negative cost
1) Instead of paying for the Red Road flats to be demolished give them to their occupants, on condition they
sign up to a good factoring agreement. Any unoccupied flats or where the occupants choose to be rehoused rather
tha ownership to be offered free to neighbours or sold at auction. These flats used to be Europe's highest
& are still impressive. It would be interesting to see if private owners & private enterprise can run them
more succesfully than the Council or GHA. Require the same ofer to be made for any other blocks of flats
which GHA wish to demolish.
2) Paint a big orange line along the pavement between Glasgow Central & Queen St stations with the distance in
metres written so that strangers know the way.
3) Immediately allow First the right to run a hovercraft across the Forth to Edinburgh - skip planning controls,
environmental impact statements, inspections, long lunches discussing it etc etc. 16
Under £100,000 (administratiion costs only)
4) Run a public competition for proposals to showcase technology projects costing under £1 million.
5) Invite tenders for the building of an arcology (a town enclosed as a single building) of 10,000 homes
somewhere in the Highlands or Borders with a low population. Such an arcology not to be subject to any planning
permission but must carry long term building insurance.
6) Pass a motion in Holyrood stating that we have a national goal that Scots should be at the cutting edge of
scientific achievement & Scotland should, proportionately to our size, contribute to space development at
least as much as any nation even Singapore.
