An Efficient LA in Chris Burden's Mini-City
Metropolis II, on display now at the LA County Museum of Art, features a futuristic model of Los Angeles in which cars and trains zip around super-efficiently (and, reportedly, loudly).
"'Metropolis II'...has 'an elaborate system of 18 roadways, including one 6 lane freeway, and HO scale train tracks,' according to LACMA. 1,100 custom-made Hot Wheels-style cars zoom around erector set and LEGO buildings at a scale speed of about 240 mph--they're pulled up a conveyor belt by a magnet, then ride gravity through the Teflon-covered course (the trains are "out of the box electric train sets," according to the museum's Unframed blog. LACMA built a catwalk around the room for Eagle eye viewing, and put up a couple of walls that help buffer the sound."
Published on Friday, January 13, 2012 in
- New Tallest Building West of the Mississippi Now Open
- San Diego, Marin County Heading the Opposite Direction on Housing Policy
- Overcoming Density Opponents by Listening to Them
- Cities Seeking New Weapons in the Battle Against Waze-Induced Traffic
- Brewing Can Ferment Growth in Towns and Neighborhoods in Need of a Lift
- Bike-Lash Erasing Baltimore's New Bike Infrastructure
- The New Apple Store in Chicago Looks a lot Like a Laptop
- Los Angeles Councilmember Chooses the Side of Traffic Safety
- An Expanding Vision for San Francisco's Treasure Island
- Friday Fun: A Mario Kart Tour of Japan
- $6 Million: The Cost of Removing the Trump Brand from Toronto Hotel
- With Resources Scarce, Bridge-Builders Cultivate Creativity
- Black Home Ownership Rates in Seattle's King County Continue to Shrink
- The Dutch: Ready to Export Their Flood Control Expertise
- Public Engagement Helping Pittsburgh-Area Bus Rapid Transit Proposal Take Shape
- Who's Mapping Gentrification, and Where?
- Hosting a City Planning Minecraft Lounge for Kids
- Louisiana's Subsidence Problem Looks Dire
- Public-Private Partnerships: Cost-Effective or Cash Cow?
- Feds Change Course, Approve $15.5 Billion California Water Project
