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City of Revolving Platters

Right round, like a record baby
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Cities could be built upon or retrofitted with large, slow-rotating platters, upon which buildings, streets, and other infrastructure are mounted.

Platters are maybe 100 m to 1 km in diameter, and each continually revolves about its central axis at speeds from a few revolutions an hour to several RPM. The perimeters of adjacent platters nearly touch, so that one could -- with a confident stride -- step from one platter to another while both are in motion.

Platters could be sized based on traffic or population density, with popular neighbourhoods having many smaller and relatively fast rotating platters, while each of the sleepy 'burbs maybe gets one or two kilometer-diameter, behemoth platters.

To get from A to B, one merely has to loiter at the perimeter of one's current platter until the next desired platter approaches and then take a leap. Commuting is akin to a series of interplanetary slingshots, where fuel need only be spent to jump orbit.

For building dwellers, the advantage is a continuous change of scenery.

the porpoise, Jul 31 2013

12_20Tree-matics_20Avenue rotating trees [xenzag, Aug 01 2013]

Omega city is a watch http://www.youtube....watch?v=ctj-RDbTBMU
[theircompetitor, Aug 01 2013]

[link]






       Welcome to the Halfbakery!   

       This concept is impractical, inefficient, nausea-inducing to even think about, and utterly brilliant. [+]
ytk, Aug 01 2013
  

       Rarely have I read an idea this revolutionary.   

       Seems to me that, instead of revolving entire platters, you could simply have revolving rings. Not only would this be far more practical to actually construct, it would offer the advantage that you could commute from one side of a circle to the other without having to travel across the whole ring.   

       Although, I suppose with the platters idea, you could turn the corner areas into parks, and you could simply wait on one until the part of the platter closest to your destination arrives.
ytk, Aug 01 2013
  

       I want the map concession - various sizes of box'o'gears.
FlyingToaster, Aug 01 2013
  

       Own up. How many of you thought traditional English roundabouts and traffic circles were difficult to navigate? Do you really think Revolving Platters will be easier to negotiate? And, for those of you who secretly fear that treacherous transition between moving sidewalks or escalators and fixed terra firma, please embrace an entirely new foundation to support your agoraphobic misgivings about venturing outside your home.   

       Other than that, I kind of like the idea.
jurist, Aug 01 2013
  

       [+]
8th of 7, Aug 01 2013
  

       [+] Yay, and I'd like to have one of those giant coffee-cup rides to ride across my platter.
xandram, Aug 01 2013
  

       How do all the underground connections work? Have a revolving tree for your efforts (see link)
xenzag, Aug 01 2013
  

       So jurist, you think the idea is not fit for the porpoise?
not_morrison_rm, Aug 01 2013
  

       Don't live near the edges, as the best water pressure is likely to be in the middle nearest the bearings.
RayfordSteele, Aug 01 2013
  

       [xenzag] Each platter would have a main central bearing with rotational couplings for services. I'm pretty sure that this tech is baked, though it may be a secret closely guarded by the revolving restaurant engineers guild.
the porpoise, Aug 01 2013
  

       very cool [+] Reminded me for some reason of the linked Omega video -- a living space that is a watch.
theircompetitor, Aug 01 2013
  

       Dangerous [+]
Voice, Aug 01 2013
  

       What [Voice] said … it should be called "Darwin", except that name is taken. A whole city that's a Darwin Device ? It's difficult to see how this idea can be improved on, apart from making the edges of the discs either (a) serrated, (b) REALLY sharp, or (c) (best) both.
8th of 7, Aug 01 2013
  

       8th, what about having sections of the discs' edge cut away, and then introducing a random modulation of the rotational speed. Adds an amount of excitement to the otherwise boring and predictable manoeuvre of stepping between discs - all of a sudden your planned landing skips out from under you!   

       But wait - I think this goes against the original idea.
Tulaine, Aug 01 2013
  

       On larger faster discs the skyscrapers near the edge would lean inwards most eye-catchingly.
pocmloc, Aug 02 2013
  

       "Oh, sorry, that's not a picture of my city, that's a bloomin' onion we ate last night..."   

       Airport runways would need to become spiral-shaped.
RayfordSteele, Aug 02 2013
  

       With the exception of some sports facilities hard to think of a building that is spherical or cylinder in shape. Start a complete new round town and leave the retrofit alone.
popbottle, Aug 03 2013
  
      
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