Erato Central Park
At the base of the famed Great Cavern of Erato lies the jewel of the city: the central park, and nothing speaks of its opulence quite like such an extravagant use of space.. Covering around a 40km² (around 10,00 acres), the park is best described as a barely tamed jungle, bristling with placid genetically engineered animals from the surface of Earth. The forest primarily takes the form of a bamboo forest, although it also plays host to an array of terraformed features; lakes, rolling grassy hills, craggy ravines and cliff faces, and -towards the edges of the cavern- the land rises up as if the Himalayan foothills, and is blanketed by a thin mist of steam from the artificial hot springs which dwell there.
All main roads in Erato snake their way past the central park, each sending a tendril down to the ground itself. The wide jungle strip which divides mainy of of the city streets all converge there, a giant highway for the forest creatures to travel and be seen by the residents and visitors alike. This can naturally lead to issues, as occasionally these creatures will be lured onto the paths and roadways. Whilst this might be an issue for the uninitiated, it rarely causes more than a slight inconvenience to the Eratans, who are quite used to having to shoo a friendly smart panda from their shop, or drive their cycle around a playful family of macaques. Thanks to the terrors that occurred both before and after the fall, it is quite possible that the central park is the last true bastion of Earth-based life in the entire solar system, and is subject to strict regulation and control. The prestige of keeping the park in check is not made without financial concessions. Hypercorps must spend extravagant sums to have their towering headquarters stationed around the park, which naturally must conform to aesthetic building standards only seen in Erato. As such, towering skyscrapers line the edge of the park nanite-built constructions of crystal, covered in greenery and festooned balcony gardens. Most buildings also have an unspoken competition with one another to have the most beautiful entrance garden, with most opting to simply blend their patch in as if it were simply a continuation of the parkland itself.
For the residents of Erato, a flat tax rate is extracted from across every dwelling of each caverns in order to pay for it's upkeep, which prices the vast majority of transhumanity out of ever being able to afford a place on Erato. Those local business owners that do manage to make payments very rarely have much to their names after their taxes, but cling on with vain pride to their status as members of the most affluent and beautiful city in the system.
All main roads in Erato snake their way past the central park, each sending a tendril down to the ground itself. The wide jungle strip which divides mainy of of the city streets all converge there, a giant highway for the forest creatures to travel and be seen by the residents and visitors alike. This can naturally lead to issues, as occasionally these creatures will be lured onto the paths and roadways. Whilst this might be an issue for the uninitiated, it rarely causes more than a slight inconvenience to the Eratans, who are quite used to having to shoo a friendly smart panda from their shop, or drive their cycle around a playful family of macaques. Thanks to the terrors that occurred both before and after the fall, it is quite possible that the central park is the last true bastion of Earth-based life in the entire solar system, and is subject to strict regulation and control. The prestige of keeping the park in check is not made without financial concessions. Hypercorps must spend extravagant sums to have their towering headquarters stationed around the park, which naturally must conform to aesthetic building standards only seen in Erato. As such, towering skyscrapers line the edge of the park nanite-built constructions of crystal, covered in greenery and festooned balcony gardens. Most buildings also have an unspoken competition with one another to have the most beautiful entrance garden, with most opting to simply blend their patch in as if it were simply a continuation of the parkland itself.
For the residents of Erato, a flat tax rate is extracted from across every dwelling of each caverns in order to pay for it's upkeep, which prices the vast majority of transhumanity out of ever being able to afford a place on Erato. Those local business owners that do manage to make payments very rarely have much to their names after their taxes, but cling on with vain pride to their status as members of the most affluent and beautiful city in the system.
Purpose / Function
Erato suffers the same issues as any off-world habitat that transhumanity has ever produced, in that it simply is not home. Whilst many are content with their lot, primitive parts of the psyche simple function better when introduced to green spaces, and consistent studies have shown that greenery improves the mental health of transhumans. The park is both a practical solution to this problem, and acts as a last bastion nature reserve for many animal species.
The park also features a number of attractions popular with residents and tourists alike Due to the size of the park, it is possible for numerous activities to occur simultaneously, although most occur at pre-set times in order to not overcrowd the forest. Activities include:
- Forest hiking
- Lake swimming
- Free climbers on crags and the cavern wall
- Bird watching
- Paragliding
- Wilderness survival adventures (a roleplaying event where the patron is left 'abandoned' and must get back to a pre-set destination)
Architecture
What few buildings exist within the park are primarily built in a traditional Chinese style. Wooden pagodas and arches dot the pathways, whilst faux ruins were made into places of interest to visit whilst exploring the ruins. Many of these have reputations as seedy meetup points for various triad interests, although this is largely unfounded. For the most part, the park's buildings simply provide a pleasant place to sit and rest, or a nesting place for various animal species.
History
Seen as both a practical solution to the problem of off-world mental health as well as an achievement of both ecological importance and international cooperation, the Euro-Asian concerns who first constructed the city designed the city to revolve around this space. By 50BF, early terraforming was already well underway for the project, and planting the space began around BF43.
Numerous concessions were made in order to achieve the funding required for the project. Anglo-European interests in preserving native species were largely unheeded due to increasing funding from the Indian and Chinese government, who had begun to tout to their populace Erato's construction as points of national pride as opposed to a largely international one. Around BF43, the Chinese government had built a traditional Shaolin temple near the centre of the park, moving in a small Buddhist enclave and claiming that their religious rights would be encroached upon should they not be able to develop the land around their place of worship. As such, the monks and the Chinese government largely took over the development of the park, whilst European interests looked elsewhere. Whilst European species of both tree and animals can still be found within the Park, they are usually confined to specific areas, as the vast majority became dominated by Asian species. In response, the European cause formed a smaller park under the New Glasgow dome.
Alternative Names
The Park, The Cavern Jungle, The Big Green
Type
Park
Parent Location
Included Locations
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