Yukon 2115: A Futuristic City Design with a Geological Twist

• Published in: Inquiry@Queen's Undergraduate Research Conference Proceedings
• Main Authors: Beaulne, Danielle, Irwin, Katie, Plant, Shelby, Thrasher, Brittany
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Queen's University 2018
• Subjects: Selwyn; Yukon; permafrost
• Online Access: https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/inquiryatqueens/article/view/10008

Current trends in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and global warming show no indication of halting in the near future. Assuming that these trends continue up to the year 2115, it will become necessary to design a city which is adapted for the anticipated changes to the environment. In the Yukon Territory, terrain will change based on fluctuations in wind speeds, permafrost levels and precipitation, which in turn affects surface water routes. The technology available will also be more advanced, and it is possible that sustainable sources of energy will be more popular as well as economically feasible. In order to integrate all of these geological, environmental and economic factors into one project, a city will be designed and modelled in the Yukon Territory for the year 2115. The design will be consider forward modeling of local climate change, precipitation, surface water routes and permafrost levels. The city will be designed to be sustainable, affordable, and have limited negative environmental and social impacts. Using this information, it will be modelled using the programs ArcGIS and SimCity and geological models may also be generated using geomechanical software such as Slide. The city will implement a zero waste program and employ one or more of three sustainable energy sources: nuclear fusion, geothermal and solar power. The main industry of the city will be four lead-zinc deposits in the Selwyn Basin, on the eastern edge of the territory; it will provide jobs and a stable economy.