Our Future: Overcrowding and Sewage Delivery?

The opening line in this Wired article is sort of terrifying: "It's 2020, and cities are so overcrowded that it’s impossible to deliver packages." The megalopolis of the future sounds claustrophobic to say the least, but just how will we get our much needed crap delivered to our doors and desks? Before it breeds post-consumer waste, it'll travel through the sewer systems!

At least that's one man's vision; designer Phillip Hermes created the Urban Mole—"a capsule that travels through existing networks of underground pipes" delivering groceries, documents, and other goods. As for the logistics, if this were to actually happen, here's how it would work: "Electric rails within the pipes provide juice for the Mole’s motors in a system that works like a miniature subway. Still more pipes run from drop-off points to delivery centers called MoleStations where customers can retrieve their items locally." A cross-town delivery would take around 10 minutes. But delivering food surrounded by wastewater? We don't want to be part of version 1.0 of this.

In reality, according to this projections briefing (PDF), we'll "only" hit the 9.1 million mark by 2030 (we're at around 8.4 million right now)—and that doesn't even take into account the drop off once the Sex and the City movies end and stop luring girls here with false hope of living a Carrie Bradshaw lifestyle. So maybe sewage delivery can wait a little longer. [via Curbed]