John Miles (Arup/Royal Academy of Engineering Research Professor, University of Cambridge)
This seminar will examine the path of the energy and transport explosion which has occurred since the Industrial Revolution and trace the driving forces which have shaped the urban and rural landscapes in which we now live. The interactions between the provision of energy and the provision of transport will be charted and the consequences of our continuing expectations for cheap energy and ubiquitous transport will be considered. Is there a way to avoid the apparently inevitable grid-lock and climate catastrophe? The potential for new solutions to up-end conventional expectations will be explored and some of the possible effects of those changes on our future built environment will be suggested.
SPEAKER’ S BIO:
Professor Miles is a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge and is the Arup/Royal Academy of Engineering Professor of Transitional Energy Strategies at the Department of Engineering. His special interests include the technology and economics of future transport systems, with a particular emphasis on energy efficiency and environmental impact. Current research programmes centre on the evaluation of alternative transport concepts ranging from low speed driverless pods, through ultra-light urban mass transit systems, to Hyperloop. John is particularly interested in the development, demonstration, and implementation of systems which employ novel technologies or novel business models to create the necessary conditions for future success.