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Here are the 19 in the order that they appear in the article. These are for projects that are already underway in which ever various stage of development that they are in.
The List of 19:
01. Completed in September 2016, China's Pingtang telescope is now the world's largest radio telescope. Its dish measures 1,640 feet across and is capable of capturing signals more than 1,000 light-years from Earth.
02. Nanhui New City, a planned Chinese city to be completed in 2020, will house almost 1 million people. Officials expect 450,000 people to move within the 107-square-mile area and 10 million tourist to flock there each year.
03. After 17 years of construction, the Gotthard Base Tunnel opened in Switzerland on June 1, 2016. At 35 miles long, it's both the longest and deepest train tunnel in the world, offering unprecedented efficiency when traveling through the Alps.
04. The newly expanded Panama Canal was unveiled to the public in early June, 102 years after it first opened. It took $5.4 billion and 40,000 workers to triple the capacity of the waterway.
05. In 2026, an Iraqi skyscraper known as "The Bride" will feature a "veil" of solar panels and produce as much energy as it consumes. It'll be 3,779 feet tall and contain parks, offices, restaurants, and a rail system.
06. Completed in 2011, China's Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is the world's longest cross-sea bridge, stretching nearly 26 miles — almost the length of a marathon. It cut travel time in half for people going between east China and the island of Huangdao.
07. In 2015, the Itaipu Dam on the border of Brazil and Paraguay generated 89.5 Twh of energy, the most of any dam in the world. It supplies 75% of Paraguay's total energy and nearly 20% of Brazil's.
08. London's Crossrail project — a massive upgrade to the existing Underground system — is the largest construction project ever undertaken in Europe. It involves 10 new train lines and connects 30 existing stations via brand-new tunnels. It will begin service in 2017, and be fully operational by 2020.
09. Opened in South Africa in 2014, the Jasper solar farm produces roughly 180,000 megawatt-hours per year, capable of powering 80,000 homes. It is the largest solar power project on the continent.
10. The Hyderabad Metro Rail is a 46-mile-long light rail system that will finally bring communication-based train control to India. It's due to be completed in 2017.
11. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project will link three cities in China's Pearl River Delta — creating one mega-city of 42 million people — when it's completed in 2017.
12. Dubai's Mall of the World will be a colossal domed structure nine times bigger than the Mall of America. When it opens in 2029, it will be temperature-controlled, feature thousands of hotel rooms, and have its own transit line.
13. Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., is developing plans to create "Smart Cities" — redeveloped areas with complete Internet access, renewable energy, and the latest in automated technology — throughout the US.
14. The Riyadh Metro, Saudi Arabia's new $23.5 billion rail line will boast a station designed by Zaha Hadid. Its 109 miles of railway will revolutionize how residents of Riyadh get around. It's set to begin operation by 2019.
15. Songdo, South Korea is a so-called "smart city" located on 1,500 acres of waterfront land. Completed in 2015, Songdo's near-comprehensive Internet access gives its 67,000 residents a taste of future society.
16. Earlier this July, China and Nigeria agreed to a $11-billion contract to build the Lagos-Calabar coastal railway. It'll stretch for 871 miles and is expected to open in 2018.
17. The South–North Water Transfer Project is an ongoing Chinese effort to move nearly 45 billion cubic feet of water from the Yangtze River to the country's less fertile northern regions. More than $79 billion has been spent on the migration so far.
18. In July of 2016, Norway announced plans to spend a reported $25 billion on a fully submerged, floating tunnel beneath the Sognefjord, a body of water more than 4,000 feet deep and 3,000 feet wide. It would be the first of its kind in the world.
19. The 20-year Turkey Urban Renewal Project, a far-reaching plan to demolish some 7 million buildings and rebuild earthquake-resistant structures in their place, began in 2012 with an estimated cost of $400 billion.
Most of these are spectacular examples of innovative engineering, no doubt they will leave an imprint on the world's infrastructure and development landscape.
Since I see Ryad and London new metros included, I ll add the GPE (Grand Paris Express). It's a project of extension of new lines of metro/RER (specially RER E and metro 14) and creation of new ones (15/16/17/18) ... and currently in construction.
200 km (124 miles) of metro (as a reference today, Barcelona metro = 144 km) are under construction for a pricey 28 billion $ (24.9 B euros). In addition a 1.5 billion straight line between CDG airport and Gare de l'est will start very soon.
In parallel, The Grand Paris society has the mission to build new appartements within a perimeter of 800m around the -68- new train stations (total = 200km², two times the size of inner Paris). The long-run objective -too much optimistic lol- is to build 1.5 million new houses in 25 years.
Whilst major projects such as Nine Elms in London, Salford Regeneration, Canary Wharf & Greenwich Penninsula, Liverpool Waters etc etc continue to change the landscale of British cities.
Here are the 19 in the order that they appear in the article. These are for projects that are already underway in which ever various stage of development that they are in.
The List of 19:
01. Completed in September 2016, China's Pingtang telescope is now the world's largest radio telescope. Its dish measures 1,640 feet across and is capable of capturing signals more than 1,000 light-years from Earth.
02. Nanhui New City, a planned Chinese city to be completed in 2020, will house almost 1 million people. Officials expect 450,000 people to move within the 107-square-mile area and 10 million tourist to flock there each year.
03. After 17 years of construction, the Gotthard Base Tunnel opened in Switzerland on June 1, 2016. At 35 miles long, it's both the longest and deepest train tunnel in the world, offering unprecedented efficiency when traveling through the Alps.
04. The newly expanded Panama Canal was unveiled to the public in early June, 102 years after it first opened. It took $5.4 billion and 40,000 workers to triple the capacity of the waterway.
05. In 2026, an Iraqi skyscraper known as "The Bride" will feature a "veil" of solar panels and produce as much energy as it consumes. It'll be 3,779 feet tall and contain parks, offices, restaurants, and a rail system.
06. Completed in 2011, China's Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is the world's longest cross-sea bridge, stretching nearly 26 miles — almost the length of a marathon. It cut travel time in half for people going between east China and the island of Huangdao.
07. In 2015, the Itaipu Dam on the border of Brazil and Paraguay generated 89.5 Twh of energy, the most of any dam in the world. It supplies 75% of Paraguay's total energy and nearly 20% of Brazil's.
08. London's Crossrail project — a massive upgrade to the existing Underground system — is the largest construction project ever undertaken in Europe. It involves 10 new train lines and connects 30 existing stations via brand-new tunnels. It will begin service in 2017, and be fully operational by 2020.
09. Opened in South Africa in 2014, the Jasper solar farm produces roughly 180,000 megawatt-hours per year, capable of powering 80,000 homes. It is the largest solar power project on the continent.
10. The Hyderabad Metro Rail is a 46-mile-long light rail system that will finally bring communication-based train control to India. It's due to be completed in 2017.
11. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project will link three cities in China's Pearl River Delta — creating one mega-city of 42 million people — when it's completed in 2017.
12. Dubai's Mall of the World will be a colossal domed structure nine times bigger than the Mall of America. When it opens in 2029, it will be temperature-controlled, feature thousands of hotel rooms, and have its own transit line.
13. Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., is developing plans to create "Smart Cities" — redeveloped areas with complete Internet access, renewable energy, and the latest in automated technology — throughout the US.
14. The Riyadh Metro, Saudi Arabia's new $23.5 billion rail line will boast a station designed by Zaha Hadid. Its 109 miles of railway will revolutionize how residents of Riyadh get around. It's set to begin operation by 2019.
15. Songdo, South Korea is a so-called "smart city" located on 1,500 acres of waterfront land. Completed in 2015, Songdo's near-comprehensive Internet access gives its 67,000 residents a taste of future society.
16. Earlier this July, China and Nigeria agreed to a $11-billion contract to build the Lagos-Calabar coastal railway. It'll stretch for 871 miles and is expected to open in 2018.
17. The South–North Water Transfer Project is an ongoing Chinese effort to move nearly 45 billion cubic feet of water from the Yangtze River to the country's less fertile northern regions. More than $79 billion has been spent on the migration so far.
18. In July of 2016, Norway announced plans to spend a reported $25 billion on a fully submerged, floating tunnel beneath the Sognefjord, a body of water more than 4,000 feet deep and 3,000 feet wide. It would be the first of its kind in the world.
19. The 20-year Turkey Urban Renewal Project, a far-reaching plan to demolish some 7 million buildings and rebuild earthquake-resistant structures in their place, began in 2012 with an estimated cost of $400 billion.
Most of these are spectacular examples of innovative engineering, no doubt they will leave an imprint on the world's infrastructure and development landscape.
Great Post OP. Way to seize the attention of a fellow infrastructure geek! My random stream of thought is below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Facts Kill Rhetoric
The List of 19:
01. Completed in September 2016, China's Pingtang telescope is now the world's largest radio telescope. Its dish measures 1,640 feet across and is capable of capturing signals more than 1,000 light-years from Earth.
It does not surprise me that China pops up first, and most frequently, on this list. I have a bit of a man-crush on them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Facts Kill Rhetoric
02. Nanhui New City, a planned Chinese city to be completed in 2020, will house almost 1 million people. Officials expect 450,000 people to move within the 107-square-mile area and 10 million tourist to flock there each year.
China's recent propensity to plan massive cities from scratch seems to be a departure from the primary model of city development throughout world history, which is to allow them to develop organically around rivers and transportation hubs (with the possible exception of government capitals, which were often chosen due to their central locations within their territories). There's conflicting information out there about how well China's planned cities are doing, but I applaud the chutzpah involved in deliberately breaking so strongly from the established model.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Facts Kill Rhetoric
03. After 17 years of construction, the Gotthard Base Tunnel opened in Switzerland on June 1, 2016. At 35 miles long, it's both the longest and deepest train tunnel in the world, offering unprecedented efficiency when traveling through the Alps.
Could we put something like this in Colorado? A bullet train underneath and/or through the Rockies? I know they're gorgeous, but sometimes when you're in Denver and you want to get to states further west, rather than driving you just want to get through them already ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Facts Kill Rhetoric
04. The newly expanded Panama Canal was unveiled to the public in early June, 102 years after it first opened. It took $5.4 billion and 40,000 workers to triple the capacity of the waterway.
Wasn't China supposed to build a competitor to the Panama Canal through Nicaragua? It's beginning to look like it'll be impossible to pull off -- kind of like the Panama Canal looked before it was first completed, so never mind I guess ...
05. In 2026, an Iraqi skyscraper known as "The Bride" will feature a "veil" of solar panels and produce as much energy as it consumes. It'll be 3,779 feet tall and contain parks, offices, restaurants, and a rail system.
Is it a coincidence that many places known for having massive amounts of oil tend to also be innovative with production and use of other types of energy as well, such as wind or -- in this case -- solar?
This building is really neat by the way, but a part of me wonders if the worldwide height contest is getting out of hand ...
I'm curious if any of the "parks" would be indoor parks on upper levels of the building. I presume "rail system" means there will be rail stops on the lower levels of the building. Or would they be able to outfit the building so some trains are elevated, with multiple rail stops throughout the building and some stops / stations on higher floors?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Facts Kill Rhetoric
06. Completed in 2011, China's Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is the world's longest cross-sea bridge, stretching nearly 26 miles — almost the length of a marathon. It cut travel time in half for people going between east China and the island of Huangdao.
I'm curious about the working conditions. I'm already afraid of heights, but add the ocean underneath for a span of 26 miles and I'm liable to soil myself. Respect to the brave men and women who erected this marvel of modern engineering.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Facts Kill Rhetoric
08. London's Crossrail project — a massive upgrade to the existing Underground system — is the largest construction project ever undertaken in Europe. It involves 10 new train lines and connects 30 existing stations via brand-new tunnels. It will begin service in 2017, and be fully operational by 2020.
Note to NYC: this is how not to get complacent and fall behind in rail infrastructure. Congrats on getting the Second Avenue Subway open, though. Next time you should go for a turnaround time of less than "nearly a century".
11. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project will link three cities in China's Pearl River Delta — creating one mega-city of 42 million people — when it's completed in 2017.
Taking the meaning of the word "urban" to a whole new level.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Facts Kill Rhetoric
12. Dubai's Mall of the World will be a colossal domed structure nine times bigger than the Mall of America. When it opens in 2029, it will be temperature-controlled, feature thousands of hotel rooms, and have its own transit line.
In America indoor malls in general aren't doing so well. Here's a possible blueprint for how to evolve for the future. Onsite hotels, well-integrated transit. It probably also helps to be in the middle of the desert so people can't safely do much outdoors anyway ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Facts Kill Rhetoric
13. Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., is developing plans to create "Smart Cities" — redeveloped areas with complete Internet access, renewable energy, and the latest in automated technology — throughout the US.
Alphabet is an innovation titan. However I get the impression Amazon has been out-muscling all other large U.S.-based tech companies in innovation over the course of the last few years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Facts Kill Rhetoric
16. Earlier this July, China and Nigeria agreed to a $11-billion contract to build the Lagos-Calabar coastal railway. It'll stretch for 871 miles and is expected to open in 2018.
The China-Africa infrastructure partnership is in my opinion one of the more fascinating aspects of the development of post-Colonial Africa. China gets a lot of business in Africa that could have gone to the West. I believe it's in part because they're less patronizing towards Africa in that they see business opportunities in places where many Westerners (Americans) are unable to look past negative stereotypes. I also believe it's because they have enough sense to not mix politics and business when they don't belong together.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Facts Kill Rhetoric
19. The 20-year Turkey Urban Renewal Project, a far-reaching plan to demolish some 7 million buildings and rebuild earthquake-resistant structures in their place, began in 2012 with an estimated cost of $400 billion.
7 million buildings? Those earthquakes must have really jazzed off the Turkish government. This reminds me of a lesson learned from one of my elementary school teachers: If you're not going to do something well, don't bother doing it at all.
Overall Assessment: Not one of these projects is in the U.S. We're batting 0 for 19. Losing the infrastructure race is one of the biggest reasons America is losing the 21st century in spite of its abundant domestic talent, innovative domestic companies and virtually unparalleled natural resources. I believe the only reason we are losing our competitive edge is we have a dysfunctional political system, where very few major initiatives ever come to fruition because the system encourages gridlock. Forgive me for touching politics but democracy(or modified democracy in our case) is genuinely overrated. Forward-thinking initiatives like the ones above are infinitely more likely to face obstruction in systems where virtually everyone is given a say about virtually everything.
Great Post OP. Way to seize the attention of a fellow infrastructure geek! My random stream of thought is below:
It does not surprise me that China pops up first, and most frequently, on this list. I have a bit of a man-crush on them.
China's recent propensity to plan massive cities from scratch seems to be a departure from the primary model of city development throughout world history, which is to allow them to develop organically around rivers and transportation hubs (with the possible exception of government capitals, which were often chosen due to their central locations within their territories). There's conflicting information out there about how well China's planned cities are doing, but I applaud the chutzpah involved in deliberately breaking so strongly from the established model.
Could we put something like this in Colorado? A bullet train underneath and/or through the Rockies? I know they're gorgeous, but sometimes when you're in Denver and you want to get to states further west, rather than driving you just want to get through them already ...
Wasn't China supposed to build a competitor to the Panama Canal through Nicaragua? It's beginning to look like it'll be impossible to pull off -- kind of like the Panama Canal looked before it was first completed, so never mind I guess ...
Is it a coincidence that many places known for having massive amounts of oil tend to also be innovative with production and use of other types of energy as well, such as wind or -- in this case -- solar?
This building is really neat by the way, but a part of me wonders if the worldwide height contest is getting out of hand ...
I'm curious if any of the "parks" would be indoor parks on upper levels of the building. I presume "rail system" means there will be rail stops on the lower levels of the building. Or would they be able to outfit the building so some trains are elevated, with multiple rail stops throughout the building and some stops / stations on higher floors?
I'm curious about the working conditions. I'm already afraid of heights, but add the ocean underneath for a span of 26 miles and I'm liable to soil myself. Respect to the brave men and women who erected this marvel of modern engineering.
Note to NYC: this is how not to get complacent and fall behind in rail infrastructure. Congrats on getting the Second Avenue Subway open, though. Next time you should go for a turnaround time of less than "nearly a century".
Taking the meaning of the word "urban" to a whole new level.
In America indoor malls in general aren't doing so well. Here's a possible blueprint for how to evolve for the future. Onsite hotels, well-integrated transit. It probably also helps to be in the middle of the desert so people can't safely do much outdoors anyway ...
Alphabet is an innovation titan. However I get the impression Amazon has been out-muscling all other large U.S.-based tech companies in innovation over the course of the last few years.
The China-Africa infrastructure partnership is in my opinion one of the more fascinating aspects of the development of post-Colonial Africa. China gets a lot of business in Africa that could have gone to the West. I believe it's in part because they're less patronizing towards Africa in that they see business opportunities in places where many Westerners (Americans) are unable to look past negative stereotypes. I also believe it's because they have enough sense to not mix politics and business when they don't belong together.
7 million buildings? Those earthquakes must have really jazzed off the Turkish government. This reminds me of a lesson learned from one of my elementary school teachers: If you're not going to do something well, don't bother doing it at all.
Overall Assessment: Not one of these projects is in the U.S. We're batting 0 for 19. Losing the infrastructure race is one of the biggest reasons America is losing the 21st century in spite of its abundant domestic talent, innovative domestic companies and virtually unparalleled natural resources. I believe the only reason we are losing our competitive edge is we have a dysfunctional political system, where very few major initiatives ever come to fruition because the system encourages gridlock. Forgive me for touching politics but democracy(or modified democracy in our case) is genuinely overrated. Forward-thinking initiatives like the ones above are infinitely more likely to face obstruction in systems where virtually everyone is given a say about virtually everything.
End rant.
I would say low taxes, no massive investments from the state
18. In July of 2016, Norway announced plans to spend a reported $25 billion on a fully submerged, floating tunnel beneath the Sognefjord, a body of water more than 4,000 feet deep and 3,000 feet wide. It would be the first of its kind in the world.
Great list. Thanks. I like this tunnel a lot. It would be even more spectacular if it was out of glass. On second, that might be too distracting for drivers. But would provide awesome underwater view.
Well, when you want to throw 30 billions in the air for a modern fast train, taxes are important yes.
The infrasctructure in USA is only car based and far away from the chinese pretentions because a road requires relatively low investments from the state compare to a 4000 km fast train line.
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Respect to the brave men and women who erected this marvel of modern engineering. 
Those earthquakes must have really jazzed off the Turkish government. 
This reminds me of a lesson learned from one of my elementary school teachers: If you're not going to do something well, don't bother doing it at all. 
