Guest post by Charlotte Boffetti.
Eiffage is a large construction and civil engineering company in France. In 2007 it started a research lab called the “Phosphore” to think about the future of cities. After years of research and development, last April it presented a model called “the city in 2030”. The goal was to develop and present a sustainable city model that addresses the future changes in demography, technology and the environment.
City in 2030 and Modul’air concept vehicles. Image via UrbaNews.fr.
There are 3 main themes to this model:
- Eco-mobility
- Renewable energy and energy solidarity
- “La Haute Qualité de Vie” aka High Quality of Life – a concept developed by Eiffage which emphasizes new ways to live and build through principles of human scale development
Amongst all the technologies that were conceptualized, one of the most interesting ideas was an urban cable car called the “Modul’air”. It is a hybrid transport system where a cable car operates in both an aerial and terrestrial fashion. The cabins are designed in a way to not only transport human passengers, but also cargo and waste materials.
Modul’air. Image via UrbaNews.fr.
POMA, a French cable car company, helped develop the idea of the Modul’air as a carbon free and flexible transport solution for the future. It functions primarily to complement existing urban transport networks.
Source: UrbaNews.fr
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