The University of Johannesburg Civil Engineering senior capstone project for 2017 is to design a solar-powered, suspended podcar network for Johannesburg under the sponsorship of Futran Systems. The 8 student teams are designing routes, structures, and stations, with attention to structural engineering, geotech, water systems (such as toilet facilities for passengers), and more.As a pioneering academic institution in this emerging field, UJ is also developing a curriculum for advanced studies in sustainable public transit.
The students are beginning to create their individual and group blogs as a tool to exchange information with others who are working in parallel with them. These blogs can be seen on their project blog:
The project teams have been informed about the SPARTAN Superway, another pioneering parallel initiative at San José State University in Silicon Valley.
More details about the San José State program can be seen here:
- 2017 Spartan Superway White Paper [pdf]
- 2017 Green Talk by Ron Swenson [pdf]
- Spartan Superway [website]
- Spartan Superway [blogs]
- 2017 Spartan Superway Final Report [pdf, temporary link]
- 2017-2018 Spartan Superway Teams' First Lightning Talks [San Jose State ME 195]
