Chapter 394 |
After officially declaring his re-election bid, Ronald's first move was to tour the recovery sites in the areas damaged by the Big One.
I headed to the sites with Ronald and Professor Mohan. Everywhere we went, we were welcomed by the people.
The state of the cities varied greatly. Some areas were so devastated it was hard to recognize their original form, while others seemed relatively intact.
Urban reconstruction projects involve complex relationships between landowners, building owners, tenants, and others.
Restoring entire cities to their exact pre-earthquake state is not only impossible but also inefficient.
The process involved obtaining consent from the majority of residents and then compulsorily acquiring the remaining properties. Some residents strongly protested this as an infringement of property rights, and the state government struggled to mediate these conflicting interests.
In a capitalist society, individuals seek to maximize their own profits. But, as the saying "tragedy of the anti-commons" (where too many private property rights hinder development) suggests, if everyone solely pursues their own interests, progress grinds to a halt.
Displaced residents who had lost their jobs and wished to work were given vocational training and then employed at construction sites. This helped solve issues of unemployment and self-reliance, and also significantly sped up the construction process.
Giant heavy machinery and people moved about busily.
Several cameras followed us. Naturally, the media couldn't be absent from such an inspection. Wasn't that the whole point of doing it – for show?
Ronald asked the site supervisor various questions.
"Are those buildings over there being constructed using the glass curtain wall method?"
"Yes, sir. We plan to create a sense of unity with glass, but differentiate them by using slightly different colors."
"Hmm, may I see the diagrams?"
Watching him wave his hand and give directions, I couldn't help but feel he exuded a bit of the "Supreme Leader from up north" vibe.
If CNN were the Korean Central News Agency, they would have reported: "Esteemed Supreme Leader Comrade Ronald provided on-the-spot guidance at the construction site, stating that California is advancing on the path of self-reliance to achieve the revolutionary cause. He also summoned the supervisors, pointed out flaws in the form and style of the high-rise apartment buildings, severely criticized the erroneous architectural trends and irresponsible use of glass, and bestowed the precious teaching that buildings should be built straight, not slanted." (Unfortunately, CNN was still not on good terms with Ronald.)
One major difference was that, unlike the Supreme Leader from up north who offered all sorts of "guidance" despite knowing next to nothing, Ronald knew more about architecture than most experts.
This was because he had been a real estate tycoon before becoming president. It would be stranger if he didn't know, given that buildings bearing his name still stood in various parts of the world.
Signs saying "Make California Great Again!" were hung everywhere at the construction sites, and buildings were already going up rapidly.
It truly looked like a Chollima Speed Battle under the Supreme Leader's direction. Of course, this didn't mean shoddy construction like in North Korea.
North Korea would erect a high-rise building in just a few dozen days and then boast to the world that this was the capability of the Republic. However, what they received in return was not admiration but ridicule, as such hastily built structures had collapsed more than once, causing massive casualties.
The U.S. was also engaged in a speed battle, but its methods were entirely different.
Technology is invented out of necessity. When plans for the largest construction project in U.S. history were announced, architects and scientists developed new construction methods, and entrepreneurs and investors made large-scale capital investments.
All sorts of advanced construction techniques, such as modular building and construction 3D printers, were mobilized at the sites.
Modular building is a method where major parts of a building are manufactured in separate factories and then brought to the site for assembly. It's similar to assembling Lego blocks and has the advantage of significantly reducing construction time.
Construction 3D printers erected buildings as if drawing them, extruding concrete instead of ink according to the input blueprints. Once construction in one area was finished, they would move to the next and repeat the same process.
Witnessing the scene firsthand was jaw-dropping.
What other country in the world besides the U.S. could develop such new technologies in such a short period and commercialize them?
A completely new city was now being built in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
Seeing that, I felt that my efforts had not been in vain. If the people who had lived here hadn't survived, rebuilding the city would have been impossible.
***
At the Palo Alto recovery site, I met Peter Katsuyo, the president of Arkit. He looked Japanese, but his nationality was English. He was a second-generation immigrant born in Liverpool to Japanese parents who had moved to the UK.
Arkit, the company he founded, specialized in architectural design. What set it apart from other companies was its use of self-developed artificial intelligence.
Though it had now become a global architectural design firm, its journey hadn't always been smooth sailing. In the early days, the AI's performance was so poor that human hands had to manually revise everything.
However, startup companies don't grow slowly and steadily; they leap forward at a certain point.
A company with 1 billion won in revenue doesn't see its sales increase incrementally to 1.1 billion, 1.2 billion, and 1.3 billion won through continuous R&D and investment. Instead, it might stagnate at 1 billion for a long time and then suddenly jump to 2 billion or 3 billion won.
On a graph, it looks less like a steadily rising straight line and more like a staircase. That's why it's called a "quantum jump," borrowing a term from physics.
Many companies fail to endure that period of stagnation and collapse. Perhaps Arkit would have met the same fate if I hadn't invested.
As more data was input and the AI became more sophisticated through machine learning, Arkit began to produce optimal results.
Surprisingly, this was far more accurate than what humans could do. Even architects who were initially skeptical had to admit it later.
Arkit distributed its AI program for external architects to use, collecting royalties for it.
As it began to generate serious profits, its corporate value skyrocketed, long surpassing the unicorn benchmark of $1 billion.
AI had now become an essential element in design. Of course, various computer programs had been used in architecture before, but Arkit's AI far surpassed them.
To draw an analogy, it was like moving from the old cel animation method, where each frame was drawn by hand, to digital animation using computers.
Architects worried that AI would take their jobs, but reality proved to be the opposite. AI provided architects with new opportunities, and the combination of AI and human creativity led to the birth of entirely new architectural forms.
However, not everyone seizes the same opportunity when presented with it. Some embraced and utilized new technologies, while others stuck to existing methods. And the results of these choices began to diverge.
Arkit was in charge of the overall urban reconstruction of Palo Alto and Redwood City.
President Katsuyo was spending so much time in California, virtually living there instead of in London where the headquarters was located, that he was incredibly busy.
Unfortunately, Janelle Jackson, his co-founder, had sold her shares and left the company. She was reportedly working on a new business now.
It seemed something had happened between them, but I didn't pry. Other computer engineers had filled the void left by Jackson.
President Katsuyo told me:
"Urban planning is similar to semiconductor design. Just as you have to fit all the necessary circuits onto a chip the size of a fingernail, you have to create everything within the limited space of a city: residential areas, office spaces, public institutions, shopping centers, green spaces, traffic volume, water and sewage facilities, and so on. If even one small thing is misaligned, it can cause huge problems later. And one problem begets another, making it increasingly difficult to fix over time."
I recalled what Daryl had told me before.
Computer programming is like a giant machine with thousands of gears interlocked without the slightest error. If you try to replace a gear with a better one or add a new part incorrectly, the entire machine can grind to a halt. So, it has to be built right from the beginning.
President Katsuyo asked me,
"Do you know what's most important in a city?"
"Hmm, I wonder."
"It's the people."
A rather obvious answer.
He explained an example.
In Paris, starting in the 60s, large-scale rental apartments were newly built to house low-income individuals and immigrants living in slums.
What was the result? Did they live happily ever after in their new apartments?
Surprisingly, entire complexes turned into slums. Trash overflowed everywhere, and buildings that weren't maintained properly were neglected and deteriorated rapidly.
"Without addressing poverty and self-reliance, housing support alone cannot prevent slumification. Afterward, the city of Paris changed its rental apartment policy. Instead of concentrating low-income people in one place, they dispersed them throughout the city, even if it cost more."
"So, no matter what kind of building you construct or what kind of city you create, the people who live in it are the most important."
"Depending on who lives there, the appearance of a city changes completely over time. No matter how good a city is, it has no value if no one lives in it."
Fortunately, most of the people who had lived in this city survived, so the urban reconstruction could proceed smoothly.
Companies that were previously in Silicon Valley, like MS, Gooble, and FaceNote, also began constructing new headquarters.
Just as a larger and more beautiful building was constructed on the site where the World Trade Center collapsed, this city would be reborn even more beautifully. And, like before, it would once again lead the world's advanced industries.
A huge memorial park for the victims of the Big One was planned for the city center. The name of the park was 'KJN Memorial Park.'
Naturally, it was named using my initials.
President Katsuyo said with a smile,
"As long as this city exists, your name will be remembered forever, CEO Kang."
Not just here, but in other cities too, new roads and parks were being named after me and Professor Mohan.
"Is it possible to change the park's name?"
At my question, he thought for a moment and then nodded.
"It would have to go through discussion by the urban planning committee, but your opinion would likely be reflected. What name would you prefer?"
I thought of my friend back in Korea and said,
"I'd like it to be named 'OTK.' He suffered more than anyone."
***
Through President Katsuyo, I was able to hear various stories about urban design.
"When I was very young, I thought the ubiquitous era would dawn, remote work would become common, and people would leave crowded cities to live in suburban houses."
Indeed, with the rapid development of computers and the internet, such a future seemed just around the corner.
However, this prediction was completely wrong.
President Katsuyo smiled.
"The reason is simple. We overlooked the fact that synergy occurs when people gather together."
According to various experiments, talented individuals become more creative when they are together. Therefore, even if remote work is technologically feasible, working together and interacting is more efficient.
That's also why people bother to fly to meet someone on the other side of the world, even though they can communicate perfectly well via video call.
"This applies not only to companies but also to cities. Diverse people gather and live in cities, and new cultures are born within them. That's why large corporations are increasingly flocking to cities and building even larger headquarters. It's to encourage creativity by having diverse employees interact within one space."
Changes in industry also played a part in this.
Companies need people who can create new technologies and know how to use them, rather than simple production or office workers who only perform routine tasks. Companies flock to cities to find talent, and talent, in turn, flocks to cities to find companies, creating a cycle.
"Among them, Seoul is a noteworthy city. It's truly special. It's rare to find a megacity of that scale even when compared to other major cities around the world. Now, there's no one in the world who doesn't know Seoul. Do you know what comes to mind first when people think of Seoul?"
"The '88 Olympics?"
"It's OTK Company. Really. I'm not kidding. It's similar to how AMZ comes to mind when you think of Seattle."
I gave a wry smile.
"So, the advancement of communication and technology has actually intensified urban concentration."
Looking at things like this, predicting the future is certainly not an easy task. Unless, of course, you have something like foresight.
The moment I thought that, something flashed before my eyes for the first time in a long while.