Community
participant predictions
Somerville is
the vegan center of the Greater Boston area.
(source: Bambi Good. To see all of her predictions, click here.)
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The moldy practices
of nepotism, favoritism, and back-door-dealing have shrunk under
the sunny eyes of scrutiny provided by intrepid reporters and ordinary
citizens who've made it their mission to shine on the dark corners
where they have thrived.
(source: Linda Haviland Conte. To see all of her predictions,
click here.)
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Davis Square
is a carbon neutral business district.
(source: Seth Itzkan. To see all of his predictions, click here.)
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The Green Line
extension is completed.
(source: MJF. To see all of her predictions, click here.)
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Rounder Records
(which is once again based in Somerville, and which created an algorithm
to identify illegal file-sharing on the web in 2019) fights a takeover
bid from Google. Rounder proceeds to purchase the remains of formerly
powerful major labels such as CBS/Sony, EMI and Virgin, cementing
its position as the new superpower in the recorded music industry
that it maintains for the remainder of the century.
(source: The Dan Crary Fan Club. To see all of their predictions,
click here.)
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The federal
government passes laws to reduce waste and litter, based on Somerville's
practices. Styrofoam and plastic bags are now banned; recycling
bins and composting are now required.
(source: Maureen Barillaro. To see all of her predictions, click
here.)
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In the 2020s,
Somerville is more diverse and welcoming than Cambridge was in 2010.
(source: Josh Burchord. To see all of his predictions, click
here.)
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In the 2020s,
hover cars make their first appearance
(source: Tim Devin. To see all of his predictions, click here.)
(image source: Graphicaltutorials.net)
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All lines through
Somerville (Green Line to W. Medford, Urban Ring) are opened by
2020-2025. But that is "best case scenario."
(source: Andrew Lynch. To see all of his predictions, click
here.)
(image source: Andrew Lynch. Click here
to see the full map)
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In 2020-25,
there will be pedal-powered minibuses, with flywheels, with routes
but no schedule. People will use these to commute, and get exercise.
It would have to be pedal-optional, for the disabled/disinclined
(source: Jim H. To see all of his predictions, click here.)
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The chances
of the Green Line being extended are pretty remote. The extension
of the Green line to Medford has been talked about for a long time,
and may in fact happen, perhaps 2020 is a reasonable date for that
one? The other lines (in the below map) could be a project for the
2020s or 2030s.
(source: Bill Rankin. To see all of his predictions, click here.)
(image source: Bill Rankin. Click here
to see the full version of the map)
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Other predictions
After the Global
Economic Crisis of 2015, economic growth resumes. The entire world
becomes wired. Confident that the Crisis is over, national governments
let corporations take stronger hold of the economy.
___Most students use the internet as
their primary tool for communication. More and more technology jobs
shift to India and China, to take advantage of lower pay.
(source: Tellus Institute,"The great transition")
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All new cars
are hybrids, according to an anonymous survey of car industry executives
by IBM's Institute for Business Value. 35 miles per gallon is average
for the U.S. fleet. 20 percent of the European Union's energy comes
from renewables. 15 percent of China's energy comes from renewables.
Sweden is oil-free.
(source: Schirber, "Power of the Future: A Timeline to
Energy Independence" in LiveScience)
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There are 1
billion Muslims, worldwide.
(source: Attali, "A brief history of the future: a brave
and controversial look at the twenty-first century")
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"The economies
of other developing countries, such as Brazil, could surpass all
but the largest European countries by 2020; Indonesia's economy
could also approach the economies of individual European countries
by 2020...Most of the increase in world population and consumer
demand through 2020 will take place in today's developing nations-especially
China, India, and Indonesia"
___ "By 2020, globalization could
be equated in the popular mind with a rising Asia, replacing its
current association with Americanization."
___ "political
Islam will have a significant global impact leading to 2020, rallying
disparate ethnic and national groups and perhaps even creating an
authority that transcends national boundaries.
___"Production and jobs will be
globalized. The transition will not be painless and will hit the
middle classes of the developed world in particular, bringing more
rapid job turnover and requiring professional retooling...Although
the challenges ahead will be daunting, the United States will retain
enormous advantages, playing a pivotal role across the broad range
of issues-economic, technological, political, and military-that
no other state will match by 2020."
___ "Traditional
geographical groupings will increasingly lose salience in international
relations"
(source: National Institute of Science, "Mapping of the
future, 2020")
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NASA starts
moon colonization for future human exploration to Mars.
(source: Wikipedia, quoting MSNBC)
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Global oil production
is expected to peak.
(source: Wikipedia, quoting LiveScience)
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The Russian
Federal Space Agency is mining helium-3 from the moon.
(source: Wikipedia, quoting Pravda)
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