Part 33: Fit The Thirtieth : Huggable Atoms

Fit The Thirtieth : Huggable Atoms


Our recycling program was running well, but the size of city was such that there was still room for improvement.


Like the dude said, up to 45% of the city's garbage could be handled in this way, so another centre needed to be built to bring it up to that level.


I decided to place the fifth near the St Sexburga Industrial Estate.


The inner city areas were getting quite swank indeed. I always maintained that the blocks next to the lake would remain as houses, it probably had a bit to do with the fact that I actually lived there.


With most of the flat land close to the city allocated in some way, it was time to start settling the hills. I'd try and keep most of their character as I do so, however. The closest hilly area was Conny's Ridge which sat behind Westshore, and that was where I began. Of course, by this stage it was entrenched city policy that any uneven land that could not be built upon would be lovingly smothered with trees instead. I probably should build up the fire coverage in that case.


1973 rolled around, again that healthy bottom line.


I had long delayed extending the subway across to Pompeii and the university as there were significant obstacles that the city engineers had to overcome before doing so. But eventually Moe had done it. The new line snaked under the river somewhat, but it had to be this way so as to not affect navigation up the river to City Name.


But the first subway station finally emerged in Pompeii, and all was good.


Further northwest in the suburb, the open space was this year's development priority. The new industrial estate just across the river was quite convenient for the residents, as an absurd number of bridges were built to forestall any congestion woes.

There was one fly in the ointment, though, the city seemed to be in an energy crisis along with the rest of the world.


And you see, this may be a problem.

It's come up before from time to time, what's so different this time?

Well, it's the nuclear plants that we have now. Changes everything.

Ooh, yeah, I didn't think of that.

Coal plant blows up from overloading, OK, we have to put a few fires out, everyone has an extra load of washing to do. Nuclear plant blows up, we open a doorway to Hades and everyone dies. Horribly. While glowing in the dark. If Firetop Mountain blew up it'd look like a bake sale in comparison.

Oh. Shit.

Now don't get me wrong, nuclear power is SAFE technology. 100% SAFE, you hear me?

...

Just as long as you don't play funnybuggers with it.

!?

You were right to bring it into town. But you have to treat it with respect. You mustn't take it for granted, you have bring it flowers and chocolates and all that caring and nurturing bullshit.

So what can we do?

Easy. Power conservation.



Will it work?

As much as it'll take the load off the plants and buy us some time before we have to build more as the town grows, definitely. Don't cost too much either. Some of the residents might get a bit peeved about having to turn lights off, but it's either that or growing an extra limb.

OK, let's do it then.

The ordinance was approved at an extraordinary meeting and soon enough the issue was back under control.


In a few months Gus gave me the good news.


And more good news! Funkytown had hit a quarter of a million residents. Apparently this had made a couple of new buildings available to us, but no-one bothered telling me about until a couple of years down the track, and for all I knew the reports were buried somewhere within City Records.


1974, same as before, people in kaftans were listening to hour-long instrumental pieces full of gongs and bodhrans and hurdy-gurdies, while muscle cars growled up and down the freeway. Good times.


The freeway was extended into the northern part of the city but the new section would remained unused in the meantime.


Elsewhere, East Pompeii was further established. More schools, more police officers, more roads. That sort of thing.


The past couple of decades' effort towards reducing pollution was paying off.


Funkytown, once the black hole of the Ashy Valley, was a veritable verdant paradise with land values to match.


And guess who had to pay! THE OLD PEOPLE.


Of course, one was not content to let the grass grow under one's feet. More money was thrown willy-nilly to encourage more high-tech industries to move into town.


No rail line ran directly between the St Sexburga area and the centre of town, though a number of services ran across the fringe. To serve the area better the subway was extended out that way.


It would even be possible to extend the line all the way to City Name, but we weren't yet considering that.


And finally, Funkytown had reached 75. It was time to reflect for a moment and contemplate how much the city had grown in that time.


The main business district of the city, always referred to as Downtown, bustled as the financial hub of the city and indeed the region.


Across the harbour lay Westshore. These peak commercial areas were within an easy commute for the residents of Ashy Bend, the old town and Port Funkytown, who could travel there by bus, train, subway, car or even by foot.


In many respects an unremarkable suburb, Bunkleyville was nevertheless regarded as an ideal home for those not quite so concerned with the high life.


Of course, The Factories remained an important part of the city's economy, and owing to the green fringe which allowed it to operate close to the city without casting too much of a pall over it, it would maintain its foothold well into the future.



The newest suburbs, St Sexburga and East Pompeii were all sparkly and new and yet to be consumed by white trash ennui.


Of course, it was not continually upwards and onwards, but the migration patterns had stabilised somewhat compared with the wild swings that the city faced in the early years, particularly after the Earthquake of '34.


God bless Funkytown and her vanilla suburbs.