Editing Environmental Issues

Venturing deeper into the GTA, I began to feel almost overwhelmed with what I might be met with next. I mean, it all just sounds so great and innovative, it is almost hard to believe. Luckily our train’s tour guide so far has done a great job explaining the first stop with detail. I suppose one of the perks of having your tour guide be AI. 

As the guide announces the second stop, I direct my view towards the large windows beside me. I feel my jaw slowly drop as I become in awe of what I am witnessing. The first thing to catch my eye was the abundance of high-rise buildings. Not even necessarily just how many there were, but the mere stature of them, it was truly a sight to behold. As I craned my neck towards the sky I had thought to myself that there must be more than 70 floors to each of these buildings. I cannot help but notice that they all look the same though, but I suppose that it adds to that futuristic aesthetic and appeal. 

As magnificent as it all is, a part of me is eagerly anticipating moving deeper into the community, wondering how the GTA’s neighbourhoods look like, maybe a mix of both traditional and modern architecture, bringing back some individuality to the space. My curiosity gets the best of me, and I decide to ask one of the AI helpers aboard the train if during one of the stops we would get a chance to see the neighbourhoods of the city more intimately. The response I received was quite odd and I am not sure what to make of it--- perhaps these intelligent robots are not equipped to answer all queries. The AI helper insisted I would find more information about other forms of housing in their brochures, but having already read it over, I only remember having read information about the complexes, and more about the ongoing plan to continue to expand them over the city.

I returned back to my seat with a defeated sigh, but I was still excited for what was to come. I continued looking outwards while the guide explained the “smart” infrastructure. Expansive highways can be seen throughout the city, intricately interwoven, reminding me of an array of rollercoasters in a grand theme park. As my eyes followed each car swiftly flowing through traffic, the tour guide had announced something that took me out of my trance--- that the extension of these highways would eventually eliminate the need for local roads. I thought that was quite strange, how would people without cars get around? What about those of us who liked to walk or bike? The cityscape was dominated by the fast flow of vehicles on the expansive highways, leaving little room for pedestrians or cyclists. I do remember having heard somewhere previously that the GTA’s goal is to optimize vehicular transportation primarily. It is not entirely surprising that a completely smart infrastructure would have its drawbacks, but I do find my initial excitement to have waned. Perhaps I would need some getting used to, and also to write down somewhere a reminder to sell my bike. 

[[File:environment1.png|500px|thumb|right|]]

When the tour guide let us know we would be given the opportunity to disembark the train to visit the national park, a small spark inside me had reignited. I have always loved to observe and be a part of nature, so I was really excited to get to see this renowned park in person. I thought it was a shame that the majority of the park would be fenced off, but I guess that makes sense since it seems to be the only one devoid of any technological interferences or advancements--- I can only assume to properly conserve its natural state.

The tour guide also mentioned the various other, notably smaller and limited parks across the city. I had gotten the chance to take a look at one of them during our first stop, but it had paled in experience to the feeling of fresh air and the distant sounds of nature stepping into GTA’S national park. The vibrant green grass and colourful flora, even though I could not come close enough to touch it myself, was discernibly real, as opposed to the artificial greenery of the parks available to the public. I wanted to spend more time alone taking in the gorgeous landscape around me, but as I strolled throughout the park, I noticed AI helpers slowly trailing behind. I presumed that for safety reasons it was important that there was somebody or rather, something, watching us at all times as we continued our journey. Suddenly we were told to return back to the train hub as we would be departing shortly for our next stop. A slight wave of disappointment had washed over me, not knowing that our time here would be so limited. I took one last glance at the scenery in front of me and inhaled a final deep breath of the fresh crisp air, knowing that it could be some time till I would be able to experience it again, and headed back towards the train station.