Tech Company To Build Science Ghost Town In New Mexico

Charliemopps sends this excerpt from an AP report: "New Mexico, home to several of the nation’s premier scientific, nuclear and military institutions, is planning to take part in an unprecedented science project — a 20-square-mile model of a small U.S. city. A Washington, D.C.-based technology company announced plans Tuesday to build the state’s newest ghost town to test everything from renewable energy innovations to intelligent traffic systems, next-generation wireless networks and smart-grid cyber security systems. Although no one will live there, the replica city will be modeled after a typical American town of 35,000 people, complete with highways, houses and commercial buildings, old and new."

Comments

I see two things happening

[Anonymous Coward]

1) Lots of movies will be shot there.

2) Lots of squatters will move in and create a real life issue of the morality of building a vacant city that can house 35,000 people and not letting homeless people stay there.

~Kactus

Re:The hills have eyes.

[Lord Lode]

If they're going to do nuclear testing there, you could always hide in a fridge and be safe.

Its about time

[arcite]

Those Crashtest dummies have been demanding a homeland for compensation for decades of abuse and maltreatment in the workplace.

Why build a brand new ghost town

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

They should just use Detroit: it's already built, it's realistic and it's a lot larger than a 35,000 inhabitant city.

Re:Hmm

[SomePgmr]

Because burning down 35,000 real homes when your molten salt solar energy storage system fails, or having your water recycling system backflow bad water through the tap is a bigger problem when you fill them with families of 4?

Just a guess. :)

Test value?

[argStyopa]

How will they actually test the viability of 'intelligent traffic systems' with no traffic?

In fact, most of those mentioned systems are about the interaction of that technology WITH PEOPLE in an urban environment. Just an empty urban environment doesn't get you much?

Re:Military training sites

[gatkinso]

>> Also full of bullet holes.

Why do you have to bring Baltimore into the discussion?

I can guess what they'll discover...

[grumling]

1) solar will be recommended. NM gets a ton of sunlight and it's a friggin' desert.
2) Insulation and sealing up the shell will have the biggest impact on energy efficiency.
3) Setting the thermostat to just above/below "uncomfortable" will be the second.
4) LED lighting will be the third.
5) The capital outlay will exceed the amount of money saved for the first 4-6 years... but only because energy production is subsidized in this country.

How much experimentation do we need? This ain't rocket science. Dad was right, turn down the heat and turn off the AC. Shut off the lights when you leave the room. You think I'm made of money or something?