Culture
Another Reason Not to Build the Hyperloop
London's Edward Lister says building basic infrastructure is more important than chasing new technology.
The next great transportation innovation can capture a city's collective imagination, but that's not necessarily a good thing. The recent frenzy whipped up over the Hyperloop, for instance, is far more likely to distract us from improving the current transit system than to actually get built.
At a wide-ranging CityLab panel on the future of urban infrastructure, Sir Edward Lister, London's deputy mayor for planning, spoke of the perils of chasing the next big thing. Responding to a question from transit consultant Jarrett Walker about generating support for a new infrastructure project, Lister cautioned against letting official eyes wander too far from the present.