The following is a transcript from Day 2 of the “Architecture and Urban Development with Minecraft Java” series I hosted on Schoolhouse.world last month. This is a lot different than Day 1 because I’m answering more questions from the group, and we start building our Minecraft “world” … but if you’re a nerd like me you may find it fun.
Welcome back to “Sustainable Urban Development Using Minecraft.” This is our second day looking at sustainable design as a concept. So, let’s get started. You’ll hear me mention this topic quite a bit as the series goes on, the topic at the center of importance in this eco-design philosophy is increasing urban density. Sophia, welcome. Glad you’re back. You didn’t miss anything. We just got started, so you’re right on time. But yeah, you’ll hear me mention this theme of increasing density quite a bit because the more we can increase the urban density in a particular space, the less spread out we are, the better equipped we’ll be to achieve the sustainable goals we’re after.
You might recall from, let’s say, this slide. This does not look very dense, right? Literally, this is urban sprawl, which I think I mentioned. But you just have rows and rows of single-family houses. That is not efficient in terms of land use, resource consumption. So, we want to steer clear from that. So, returning to the slide we were just on. So, increasing density, both in terms of housing, also in terms of transit, and all of the other facilities you might see in a city. And this allows us to accomplish several things. First of all, we’re able to minimize the amount of land that is used, or at least conserve the amount of land that’s used. Because the more land we save for other purposes … First of all, there is this metric called land use efficiency. So, the more efficient we are with land use, the we’ll be able to use freely developable land for other facilities and improve quality of life for city dwellers.
We’ll be able to implement transit systems like buses, trains, trams, that instead of just having one or two people in a car, you have many people in a single unit. So, the emissions per person or per passenger goes down. And so, by densifying these transit modes, we are able to, again, limit emissions and, overall, just make quality of life and environmental health better-taken care of. All of this, like I said a couple of times already, contributes to an overall decrease in the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions that we release into the atmosphere, which means those issues like drought, wildfires, you know, rising sea temperatures due to global warming, all of those can be mitigated, or at least their effects can be not as intense as they normally would be. And then this also gives us the option, since we have more land to work with, to diversify the kinds of infrastructure we see. So, instead of just using entire blocks, or we’ll talk about zoning in this series, instead of just using entire zoning areas or entire zones strictly for housing, we’re able to add shopping complexes and parks and office spaces and all these other really important features of a comfortable and a pleasant city experience.
So, great question, Max. We’re talking about, like, encouraging alternatives to car travel in essentially a video game where there are really no people, right? Like Yago said, essentially we can implement transit modes like buses, or we’ve seen, like, subways and other forms of rapid transit. We’ll also be talking about those in this series that would take more civilians and transport them over a longer distance, more efficiently, and with fewer emissions. So, the purpose of the Minecraft project is really to portray that. So, while we don’t really have any people to work with, we want to portray the kind of city that would meet these goals. And, like Yago replied, we can meet those goals with buses, trains, and also active modes like walking or riding a bike.
And so, once again, returning to this main issue, we have two kinds of urban growth models that we’re working with. The first is this sprawl, which is just rows and rows of single-family houses not using land or resources efficiently. And so, we want to transition more to this kind of scenario where things are more compact. So, you see lots of high-rise and mid-rise buildings. So, things are more dense and more compact. But you can see here, this is actually a picture, I believe, from Vancouver, Canada, that has been balanced with lots of greenery. You can see this little park here, free access to streams, and lots of very pleasant natural views. So, supplementing this need for density with more options to lead a pleasant lifestyle.
There we go. Returning to these issues that we discussed on Sunday. New York would be a decent example of this. Yeah, you’re right. Lots of high-rise buildings, obviously, a very, like, well-developed subway system. Lots of options for urban transit, like the metro, like you mentioned. As a New York resident, what I will say is the balance is skewed a little further to functionality or a little further in the functionality direction. So, we do have a lot of emphasis on, like, urbanism and infrastructure. What is lacking a little bit is that natural touch. So, returning to this other slide, we see, again, lots of very strongly developed infrastructure, balanced with green spaces and, like, natural views. You don’t really get much of that in New York City, which I can say after living here all my life.
So, you’re absolutely right to bring that up. But I think one thing I will say is the focus on experiential living, which is also something we’ll talk a little bit about during this series, is missing and could be further developed. So, thank you for mentioning that. So, returning to some of these issues of like drought and subsequent food shortages, you know, energy sourced from fossil fuels, and then also the issue with waste disposal, and how much of our waste is either ending up in a landfill or this quickly growing pile of garbage in the middle of the sea. We can begin to mitigate those issues on a local level. And this is just to show some examples of how that’s currently being done. One of these is localized agriculture. So, basically, instead of growing things at a farm hundreds of miles away, and then shipping those goods to a number of cities, because you’re using trucks and there are fossil fuel emissions involved, you can begin to address these issues of food shortages by establishing local farms.
This one, I think, it’s called Gotham Greens. It’s based in New York. And basically, what they did was they took this old abandoned warehouse and they transformed it into this huge, really thriving producer of vegetables. And so, what this does is it addresses the need for, like, bulk production of greens and healthy foods. And it also eliminates that fossil fuel component of shipping it over a longer distance because you’re shipping it over a shorter distance, right? So, that’s one example. Another example to address fossil fuel would be rooftop solar. So, again, all of these approaches can be taken at the smaller, less industrial, or city-based level. And so, rooftop solar is definitely a good example of that, especially if you live in a region with greater exposure to sunlight.
And then more efficient waste disposal systems can help address the waste accumulation crisis that we’re currently seeing. This is a picture of, I believe, a waste-to-energy plant. And so, what waste-to-energy plants do is they take solid waste, like all of this trash here, they incinerate it, and then they take the energy that’s being stored in the waste, which is actually quite a bit of energy, and use it to essentially replenish the power grid and provide homes and other facilities with continuous power. So, we’re seeing instead of just this very linear, you know, product go through its lifecycle and then die in a landfill, we’re giving it another life and we’re giving it another purpose.
“What happens to the ashes, and what’s left over from the incineration?” So, that’s an excellent question. There is a lot of research being done to mitigate those concerns. One thing I will say is the heat, in particular, that’s also released, there’s another type of waste conversion plant called a waste-to-heat plant. And so, what those do is they take the heat that’s emitted as a byproduct, and they use it to also replenish the city with a consistent supply of heat during, like, the winter or whenever they need it. And then also it produces this material called fly ash. I was actually assisting a research team that was looking at ways to kind of tame the toxic components of this fly ash. But it is released as a byproduct of waste incineration. And it contains certain heavy metals like lead, nickel, and copper, that can leach into groundwater and pose a significant threat to the environment.
But lots of research is being done to make that less of a concern and, in particular, stabilize the heavy metals that are contained in that ash. So, all this is to say, the more we research and look into ways to circumnavigate the unsatisfactory byproducts of these processes, the better we’ll be able to develop them and the more widespread they will become. But yeah, thank you for bringing that up. Yeah, Yago, you have a point. Like, these issues are definitely concerns, but fossil fuels are a much greater concern. So, there’s also that aspect of like, how do we prioritize which issue to address first? So, both are excellent points.
And then just a quick interlude into renewable energy sources. Maybe you’ve seen these show up quite a bit in science classes. Maybe you’re seeing them for the first time, either is completely fine. But first, we have wind energy. Essentially, you’re taking wind. The wind spins a propeller, which spins a shaft in a motor, and that motor produces electricity. These are best suited, of course, for windy locations. This is an offshore wind farm, so we know in the middle of the ocean it can get very windy. So, that is a location where this is implemented very effectively. We have solar, which in one solar panel you have what are called photovoltaic cells. And so, what happens is when the cells are exposed to sunlight, the electrons inside the cells are excited and they produce electricity.
You have geothermal, which takes heat from very deep below the earth’s surface from, like, volcanic water, like, cavities. And so, that steam, which comes up from the heated water, is used to spin a turbine, and that turbine produces electricity. Hydropower, you have the on rush of water, and it’s sort of like wind energy, but with water instead of wind, I’ll put it that way. And then you also have this fairly new concept called biomass. I am not super familiar with how this works. Maybe, I mean, if one of you has some info, I’d be very curious. But biomass, you have, I think, essentially the decay of organic matter, so like leaves or insects or whatever, and this produces heat. And that heat, again, can be used to heat water, produce steam, spin a turbine, and then electricity.
Now, one very important note, none of these renewable energy sources are applicable everywhere, right? Like, hydropower, for example, would be much better used in, like, the Gulf of Mexico, where there’s water, than it would be used in the Mojave Desert, where there’s literally no water. Another example is solar. You have much more sunlight in, say, Chile than you do in Alaska. So, there really is no cookie-cutter solution for renewable energy infrastructure. So, it’s important to tailor the sources of renewable energy you’re using to the environment. And so, I think that’s something to think about as we move forward with the project. And speaking of the project, I wanted to give just a quick overview of the priorities, I think, for the next couple of days, including today and tomorrow. But we can start thinking about ways to create a rudimentary zoning plan.
And, like, a zone is where you split up the kind of infrastructure you are implementing. So, for example, there would be a residential zone, a parking zone or a waste management zone, or something like that. So, creating separate zones specifically for energy and other industrial complexes so that they are separate enough from public areas because we don’t want people living too close to an operating wind turbine. That wouldn’t be good at all. And then we can start thinking about the kinds of renewable energy to begin implementing. Okay. Yeah, that’s fine, Yago. I mean, I know you put a lot into it, so I’m gonna try to move as little of it as possible. I also made a few edits, so feel free to change what I did in whatever way you want. We can also start thinking about transportation. So, looking at how to implement bus and train networks, and then for all the others, really just keep doing what we’re doing with what we’ve already built and what we are planning to build, both as it regards to physical, like brick and mortar buildings and working with nature.
So, that was a lot. Do any of you want me to return to something we’ve already discussed or do you have any questions? Okay, cool. Yeah, just drop them in the chat whenever you want. I’ll be sure to get you an answer. But I’m gonna stop share and I’m actually going to show you guys what has been happening in Minecraft so far. And hopefully, screen sharing this will not crash my computer, but this is what we have done so far.
Again, big thanks to Yago and Dario for being significant contributors to the progress so far. But this is a school. This is Yago’s school. We’ve got a little seating area here, lockers, art classroom. So, chalkboard there, paintings, all very nice, we’ve got lockers. And then also a history classroom. Extra credit if you can answer these questions.
I think maybe the Eiffel Tower. I’m sure his last name was Eiffel, I don’t remember… Dario made those. Nice. Cool. I don’t remember what his first name was but… And then, who started World War II? I know who started World War I, or I know what started World War I. It was the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. And then, of course, I think Germany invading Poland was the major event that kicked off World War II. But this is the school so far. It’s a work in progress. We have a nice road with one sidewalk. And I’m actually gonna talk a little bit about this. I think it’s important. And then we also have a house with an elevator. Very nice.
So, rooms, a head bedroom. Is this like an office building? Because I see you’ve got like a little table and a screen there. A home. Okay, cool. So, yeah, that’s everything we have so far. I also have some models for vehicles we can start to implement. This is my very rudimentary city bus. I built it at, like, 11:00 at night, so it’s not the most glamorous thing in the world, but I did what I could. We’ve got some solar cells that we can start to put on the roofs of some of these buildings. Maybe an electric car, of course, a scooter, and a bicycle. Best way to build roads. So, generally, the way that it’s rectangles and blocks.
Yeah. So, a grid system is the tried and true method for, like, building roads. And you may have heard the term city blocks, so, like, to go from one block to the next. Essentially, we have, like, rectangularly intersecting roads and sidewalks. And ideally, the walking distance from one block to the next should be as quick as possible in order to make the city what we call walkable. Because we really do want to encourage walking and biking as opposed to car travel. And so, to your point about the best way to build roads, really, the way it’s been done in the past is cities have been shaped by existing road networks. So, the roads are laid down first and then you start to see, like, shops and homes and other infrastructure pop up alongside those roads over time. But that, just to reiterate, is part of the old urban growth model, which we are trying to transform and modernize so that we’re able to meet our more sustainable goals.
So, that’s kind of a long-winded answer, but it’s an important question. And so, I actually want to talk a little bit about this road here. I think a grid system is normally the most efficient also because it’s just easier to navigate, right? Because if you’re walking or driving around, the last thing you really want is a system of random winding roads to get through. I do also want to draw attention to this road here. We’re gonna talk about this during our next session on Thursday. But sort of the priority tiers for public transit or for transportation just in general. You always want the active modes of transport, like walking and cycling at the top. And so, our infrastructure should prioritize those modes. So, on these kinds of streets, what we would really like to see… Because, again, we’re building the ideal city, so we want to make ideal implementations. Yeah, we want walking areas. We also want to make the walking experience pleasant. So, that’s what…I started doing this with trees over here just to sort of enhance the experience for city dwellers.
And then we also, kind of like you alluded to, we want ideally grade-separated bike lanes and scooters. So, a separate lane, all for just scooters and bikes specifically. And bike grade separated. We can do it on the right, really just wherever there’s room, I would say. In fact, maybe we might be able to shift the sidewalk over. So, instead, have it extend out to here, break it off there, and then have these two blocks going down to serve as a bike lane. So, I’m trying to think of [inaudible 00:31:59], we could use for that. The other side, I think, maybe we can replicate that if possible. So, use the same orientation of like street bike lane, and then a sidewalk. Each road would be very big on the sidewalk [inaudible 00:32:25]. Yeah, that’s the other part. Just managing the scale. So, what it really comes down to at that point is actually minimizing the amount of room that the cars have. Because cars are at the bottom of our priority list.
We actually want to prioritize everything else and then save cars at the absolute bottom. That doesn’t necessarily mean no cars, it just means… Sorry, Dario, we’ll save room for your Ferrari because it is very cool. We want to save space specifically for bikes, pedestrians, and transit vehicles like buses. And then, by decreasing the amount of space that cars take, we’re able to disincentivize city dwellers from driving cars, which is actually the ideal scenario. So, you’re right, Max. Yeah. So, I see what you’re saying. But by separating buses from cars, the service would be better. So, it would actually be faster to travel by bus because there’s just less traffic. So, while all the cars are competing in their region of the road, the buses have a comparatively smoother ride. And so, these are the kinds of factors we can use to draw city dwellers away from cars and toward more dense transit modes.
What I will say is it’s important to consider the development of new technology because, I mean, electric vehicles are a relatively new technology. They became popular in, like, the last decade or so. It’s important to consider them from a life cycle perspective. And so, what I mean by that is we want to take into account not just the operation of electric vehicles, but also their assembly. So, if we look at specifically electric vehicle batteries, electric vehicle batteries have to be transported over long distances. Their production is, like, made from metals, that our supply of those metals is quickly depleting, like nickel, copper, aluminum. And then also we need to continue to build the proper infrastructure in order to accommodate electric vehicles. Because right now, electric vehicle chargers are fairly scarce.
So, not quite. What we’re really looking for is a balance, a healthy balance. If we’re looking to minimize the number of trips that are made by car, because the more that city dwellers are able to, like, feel comfortable commuting by other transit modes, the more ideal that will be because we’re, again, drawing the masses away from car travel. And so, that doesn’t necessarily mean making it less convenient for cars, but instead, it’s making it more convenient for public transit, like going by bus or by, like, train or even just walking. So, really, I should phrase it this way, so we can accomplish that, making buses more convenient by separating them from car travel. So, giving them, again, their own lanes on these streets, which would improve service. So, buses would be faster. They would be faster because they don’t have to compete with the rest of traffic. They get their own right of way.
So, I see what you’re saying, Yago, so, like, have essentially an overpass for buses and then an underpass for cars. What I’ll say about that is bridges are very expensive. So, the more elevated infrastructure that we build, the higher the construction cost. What I’ll say about that, Max, is you would have less space for cars. I’m not gonna say the lane size would decrease. I’ll say instead that you would have fewer lanes dedicated to car travel and then maybe like one lane for buses, one lane for cars, a, like, half a lane, again, grade-separated for bikes and scooters, and then just a normal-sized sidewalk for pedestrians. And then a couple of more millions in. We want to conserve the amount that we increase the national debt. So, if we can have a more economic approach, we should go with that.
It’s okay, Max. I’m glad you’re asking these questions because these are the kinds of conversations we should be having. I will come to the next session with more information on this particular point, like on the orientations that we can have. And I think it’ll be fitting because next session we will be talking more about transit and, like, the balance between car travel and public transit. So, Yago, you want to put bikes in the middle of the road. What we want, ideally, is for… Yeah, that’s kind of what we’re trying to avoid. Part of incentivizing more active modes is making it safer for cars and pedestrians. What is that? A flying machine? Yeah, so what I was thinking is we shift the sidewalk partly over this way. Yeah, I mean, cars normally go in the middle. So, the disincentive that we’re trying to create would just be making the other transit modes that we’re trying to promote, like subways, bikes, buses, more attractive, more comfortable, more accessible, and overall just more convenient.
This was gonna be part of tomorrow’s presentation, but I might as well show it now. So, this is sort of the order of the priority that we should be placing in the transit modes that we see in a city. And then, Yago and Dario, if you’re still in Minecraft, I encourage you to switch back over to Zoom, just so you can see this. But first, we have active modes of transport, like, we’ve discussed biking, riding scooters, or walking. So, that is the most important. That’s what we are trying to accomplish or the most of anyway. That’s what we’re incentivizing to the greatest degree.
So, if you’re able to walk or bike, or ride a scooter to your destination, we want to make it so that people prefer to do that. Then comes the transit that we’ve been discussing. So, like subways, buses, and in this case, we have a tram, or trolleys, you can think of them as… So, they’re guided by a rail and they share the road with other vehicles. Then we have a movement of goods, so delivery systems like UPS, postal service, Amazon vans, and then cars could fall at the very bottom. Again, the general trend is trying to shift the populace away from using cars and instead prioritizing their usage of active transport or transit, if they can. So, for shorter trips, they should definitely be focusing on one of these two. But for much larger or for much longer trips, they have the option to use cars. Again, incentive is the name of the game. Yeah, that’s another factor.
Again, we’re making transit more dense, right? Because you can fit more people into, say, a subway or a bus than you can into a single car. And so, the emissions per passenger in a transit vehicle will be smaller than it will be for a car. Great. Awesome. I’m not gonna let that, like, influence where you focus on in the project. You can focus on whatever you want really. So, if you’re more interested in doing the school, by all means, go ahead. Yeah, it’s entirely up to you. And let’s keep planting trees. So, here, what I’ve started doing is you really don’t want just a massive stretch of concrete for a sidewalk. You want the sidewalk to be, like, pleasant to walk down, right? And so, returning to the priorities of this city, what was actually third on the priority list for the people who live here was nature. So, one of the ways that we can make walking more attractive is by, like, placing a greater emphasis on the natural elements of infrastructure. Yeah, so this is a good example. We have nice potted plants.
And actually, before you make too much progress, I think what we can do is, I mentioned, just, like, shifting this over to and then replacing the inner tube blocks along this stretch of road with a grade-separated bike lane. So, if you wanna, like, demolish these trees, and then I’ll go ahead. Yeah. But then, again, bikes are pretty thin. They don’t need a whole lot of space. And the same really with scooters. I would say, normally, what you find is bike lanes are about a third of the width of car lanes. So, let’s see, we have five blocks wide here and, like, two blocks here. That’s approximately a third [inaudible 00:49:38]. So, I’m just gonna do… Let’s see [inaudible 00:49:45]. What block would be nice to use here? Maybe like [inaudible 00:49:49]. This will be the bike lane, and I’m just gonna do slash clone all the way down.
“Do you think three blocks?” Okay. We wanna leave room for the pedestrians, obviously. Yeah, that’s true. And I was just trying to steer the sidewalk clear of the school because right now it’s running pretty close to the side of the school here. Okay. I mean, moving entire structures in Minecraft takes a lot of work, but if you’re willing to do that, I appreciate it. Slash clone. That about does it for today.