Gloucester Locale

Gloucester Locale was one of the first of the Vertical Sustainability Projects ('Stalk Cities') to be inhabited. It is named for the national park it is based in. It consists of a number of buildings build upon a platform, suspended forty meters above the famous Gloucester Tree. It has a number of supports as well as two elevators connecting it to the ground. The supports double as bores and water table monitors, and are buried deep amongst the root systems, which were pinpointed by sonar before construction. The location was chosen for its fairly frequent rain, its biodiversity, its proximity to smaller ex-townships but distance from any major ones, as well as political reasons. Recently replaced heat lamps line the underside of the platform, as well as sprinklers, which are connected to the locale's water supply.

Demographics

The vast majority of the population is permanent. Ethnicities vary widely, including descendents of both the original custodians of the land and latecomers. No official census of this is conducted. Professions are likewise diverse, with few people purely following one.

Defences

Gloucester has been widely criticised for its policy regarding entry up to the locale. For someone to gain admission, they must have someone 'vouching' for them, or enabling and signing off on their entry. Likewise for someone leaving. While the security measure is to ensure no one disappears into or out of the locale, it means the society risks becoming insular and exclusive.

Industry & Trade

The biggest industry in Gloucester is software, shortly followed by firm and hardware in all their various forms. Due to the confrontation of the madness of a consumerist approach to technology, methodology surrounding it had to change. The number of screens per person decreased, but technology grew further integrated in society. Monthly subscriptions are the norm for programs, with each variation promising better functionality, with less cost to battery life. These are available locally as a rule, although some are sold globally despite currency no longer being a worldwide constant.

Infrastructure

The locale itself being a feat of engineering does not diminish the marvels of planning that has gone into compacting the infrastructures lining it. Gloucester is incredible dense, despite having a relatively small surface area. Apartments are the basic unit of the locale, but are so interconnected by bridges, courtyards and food courts that they are hardly the freestanding structures of today.

History

Gloucester was made by the Western Australian government after the Vertical Sustainability Project was announced as part of the new sustainability initiative. Work started on a monumental scale, but as the word got out that the government announced that budget cuts meant the project was going to be suspended until the planned materials became cheaper to source, strikes broke out. Worker pay ceased, and the government announced the Gloucester project was cancelled. In retaliation, workers began work anew, using materials from the old government-owned sawmills. When their living supplies were cancelled, people united in their support. Most notably, if the Bibbulman mob hadn't shared their knowledge of the paths and resources of the region, the project never would have been completed. Plans for the locale to declare its independence never eventuated as the state and national governments collapsed soon thereafter.

Architecture

Ferrock, a recycled material, is the main construction unit. It is made from the remains of nearby ex-townships, so that as the locale grows, the land is able to reclaim more land as the corresponding materials are removed. Styles of structures vary greatly, as does their colours.

Alternative Name(s)

Also called Gloucester City or Gloucester.

Type

City

Population

~ Fifty thousand.