Cities as Gadgets: 8 Features This Brand-New City Has That Yours Doesn’t

Just guessing: When you go to take out the trash, you don’t drop it into a pneumatic tube, which sucks it to a central processing facility, right? Then you’re not living in the future.

In Songdo, South Korea, planners and developers are building a $35 billion city from scratch. See: “Sim City,” my feature article about the project.

When you’re building a new city, there’s plenty of technology and features to consider that either didn’t exist or weren’t practical in the past. These range from in-building technology to the municipal systems, from private perks to public services.

What’s the point? In some cases, convenience. In others, ways to save money or energy. Songdo’s residents use 40% less energy per person than an average existing city, because of things like building insulation, high-tech lighting, heating, and air conditioning systems, and the like, according to representatives. And the city has almost 14 million square feet of environmentally-certified space.

Here are 10 features Songdo offers that most cities don’t have. One resident told me they make living in Songdo feel “very George Jetson.”

1. Pneumatic Trash Collection

Instead of unweildy garbage cans and noisy trucks, a citywide, vacuum-powered system literally sucks garbage to the dump. Buildings are hooked up the garbage grid, but there are also portals in a few places around town. The benefits: No trash in public, easier disposal, fewer trucks on the streets, and lower vehicle emissions.

2. Massive Underground Parking Lots

Some 95% of Songdo’s parking is underground, including one lot with more than 2,000 spaces. (Don’t forget where you parked!) This means more open, green space for everyone.

3. Smart Water Networks

Songdo has three water networks: Freshwater, sewage, and treated “gray water,” which is used for irrigation and some toilet flushing. Plus every building internally recycles a large portion of its own waste water.

4. High-Definition Telepresence

Songdo is in South Korea, so naturally it has super fast Internet access. It’s also a test bed for