Introduction to Sustainability
Arguably the most pervasive, yet fragmented concept driving the evaluation of virtually all human activity, the sustainability of the most fundamental systems and resources supporting urban life is transforming the perspective from which the management of cities, industry, energy, transportation and the quality of life are measured and compared. Overarching and trumping this vast and intricate array of systems and substructures, the financial sustainability of governmental and private entities supporting modern urban environments and systems has emerged as the most immediate critical factor affecting the management of cities and their vital infrastructure. As the greatest source of all urban activity, transportation systems set the daily pulse of cities, accounting for the vast majority of movement, commuting, school attendance, shopping, goods distribution, policing and provision of public services; while producing the majority of air pollution, congestion, noise, danger, lost time, fuel consumption and dedicated public space.
The American Monorail Project is designed and articulated in terms that address the sustainability of six basic forms of mass transportation relative to monorail systems; and the extended economic, governmental, industrial, administrative, infrastructural and environmental factors integral to all transportation networks.
By every comparative measure, monorail technology, systems, performance, development processes and financial characteristics prove to be superior to the best characteristics of each mass transportation mode, while being unencumbered by the institutional bureaucracy and fiscal limitations of public transportation agencies and authorities. The adaptability of monorail construction processes and operating characteristics to virtually any setting or environment permits monorails to be developed where other modes of transportation would be difficult, if not impossible to establish; while the significantly lower costs of right of way, construction, manufacturing, operation, maintenance and electrical power permit cost-effective monorail development and services to be financed primarily through private and public-private entities and ventures.
Sustainability Sections
