Regional and Urban Design Committee

Why we keep on talking about MagLev

  • 1.  Why we keep on talking about MagLev

    Posted 10-10-2014 10:26 PM
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    Friday, October 10, 2014

    The Fascination with Magnetic Levitation

    This article follows participation in a radio discussion with former PA Governor Ed Rendell and David Pickeral of IBM intelligent transportation systems about the latest MagLev proposal to connect DC and Baltimore. It is part of a series of articles about the future of transportation
    The Fascination
    The technology is half a century old, almost as old as the Jetsons, yet now in the new millennium Americans are still waiting for the train that has magnetic levitation. So does nearly everybody else, the world over in spite of all the promises that have been made over the decades. Politicians still sell it as cutting edge. Rendell said recently to a reporter: "it's time for America to do something big and something great." So what is wrong? Are we just wussies who can't take on a challenge anymore? Why could we fly to the moon but can't build a magnetically levitated train? Wouldn't it be time to think outside the box, think big, embrace innovation?
    Well, I would submit that these are exactly the kind of pride and testosterone fueled questions 

    http://archplanbaltimore.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-fascination-with-magnetic-levitation.html
    Read all
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    Klaus Philipsen FAIA
    Archplan Inc. Philipsen Architects
    Baltimore MD
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