Life at the Speed of Rail

Last March, the Van Alen Institute issued a call for design ideas to envision the cultural, environmental, and economic impact of a new rail network on communities across the country. On June 24, the Van Alen Institute announced Rael San Fratello as one of ten winners in this prestigious competition advised by Thom Mayne, Keller Easterling, Sarah Whiting, Gary Hustwit and several other notable designers, academics and writers. The winning entry, What will you do?, choreographs how high-speed rail might combat the detrimental effects of sitting with a trip from LA to San Francisco.

The Van Alen Institute presented winning entries to the Life at the Speed of Rail competition Friday, June 24 at the National Building Museum with advisers Christopher Hawthorne, Keller Easterling, Petra Todorovich and Michael Lejeune. Van Alen Institute fellows will present ideas gleaned from the competition in dialogue with advisory committee members this summer at a series of panel discussions in high-speed rail megaregions around the country.

JUNE 24, WASHINGTON, D.C.:
BETTER TRANSPORTATION BY DESIGN
> THE NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM, 12:30PM

JUNE 28, ST. LOUIS:
LAYING TRACKS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
> THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, 7:00PM

JULY 7, HOUSTON:
RED STATE RAIL
> THE BAKER INSTITUTE, 6:00PM

JULY 12, LOS ANGELES:
AFTER CAR CULTURE: DESIGNING THE NEW LA
> CALTRANS HEADQUARTERS, 4:00PM

Project Statement: LA to San Francisco in 160 minutes—GREAT! But ironically, as the size of cities and the speed in which we are able to travel great distances increases, we are increasingly more sedentary. In fact, we are sitting down more than ever before—9.3 hours per day, which is more time than we spend sleeping. And the amount of time we spend sitting today increases the risks of death up to 40 percent. Instead of sitting for 160 minutes, why not create a high-speed rail that allows us to choreograph a set of experiences that make us productive, healthy and social individuals. Exercise, dance, shop, tan, eat, do laundry, play, take art classes and even sleep (ok, sometimes we need a break too!).

As we push into the 21th century, let us not fall into the traps and preconceptions of the 20th century that generated technology that supplanted our active minds and bodies. Today, obesity and diabetes are among the nation’s most pressing health issues, and they are directly related to our sedentary lifestyles. We also have no time to make selective choices about food, or even have time to do laundry because average Americans are chained to a computer working for 46 hours per week and spend more than 100 hours a year behind the wheel of a car sitting in traffic. We propose that advanced transportation infrastructure and a spirited engagement of our senses can be one. As we travel up to speeds of 220 mph, we do not need to be in park. 160 minutes—what will you do?

Project Date: 2011
Project Location: San Francisco, Los Angeles
Project Team: Ronald Rael, Virginia San Fratello, Emily Licht, Kent Wilson
Additional Project Information: Read more at [ Architects Newspaper | LA Weekly ]