Prompt Cast
The Rise of Underground Cities and the Challenges They Pose
TLDR Underground cities are being built as a solution to various challenges, including security, energy inefficiency, and climate change. However, living underground poses challenges such as the lack of sunlight and air, and concerns about the impact on the environment.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
There is an underground city beneath Beijing that was built in response to a border dispute with the Soviets in 1969.
02:34
China built an underground city in Beijing to house 300,000 people in case of an emergency, which has now been turned into an underground mall.
05:18
Insurance companies and information bureaus have started storing their network servers underground for security purposes, and there is a sub-genre of architects who believe that going underground could be a solution to the energy inefficiency of buildings and the contribution to climate change.
08:07
Living underground goes against our natural circadian rhythm and our dependence on the sun for vitamin D and serotonin production, which are crucial for bone development and good moods.
11:00
Living underground poses challenges because we need sunlight, air, and atmospheric pressure, but there are already examples of underground architecture, such as the Marin County Jail and an underground museum in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Japan is leading the way with proposed underground cities like Alice City.
13:43
The Urban Geo Grid in Japan is a proposal for an underground city that could cover 485 square miles and accommodate up to half a million people, but there are concerns about the impact on the ground above and the water table.
16:28
The podcast episode includes an ad for a different show and various other unrelated advertisements.
Categories:
Society & Culture
