Google Plans to Rebuild California Hometown to ‘Prioritise People Over Cars’
10th December 2018
Google has revealed ambitious plans to redevelop its hometown of Mountain View following a major land grab in California.
The technology giant submitted a development proposal to the city on Friday, titled ‘A Shared Vision for North Bayshore’, which describes Google’s vision to transform the neighbourhood “from a place for cars to a place for people.”
The plans include new office space, affordable housing, bike and foot paths, as well as provisions for climate change events predicted over the next century.
Google’s proposal explains: “Protecting development and infrastructure against projected sea-level rise in the year 2100, with development generally located in upland areas; expanding the Charleston Retention Basin by over 2 acres to provide an additional 5 acre-feet of stormwater detention volume during larger storm events; and exploring a series of both public and private partnerships to plan for and fund regional level strategies to address sea-level rise (and associated climate risks).”
Cue weird music from a Brave New World science fiction utopia movie. Think of the volcano caldera from Our Man Flint.