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Before and after data centers (thelemmy.club)
submitted 2 months ago by to c/mildlyinteresting@lemmy.world
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Original comment: https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/1uyyywv/comment/oy3cgd7/

Trees vs. Data Centers

Photo 1: Memphis, TN (top)

Photo 2: Sandston, VA


Photo 3: Abilene, Texas


Photo 4: New Albany, OH


Photo 5: Fayetteville, GA

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[–] 39 points 2 months ago (6 children)

To be fair. This isn’t an AI issue. Or a data center issue. It’s an everywhere issue. If there is a plot of land, it will be leveled and something will be built. Strip mall. Gas station. Houses. So many houses. It’s never ending. If that piece of land can make money, it will be clear cut and built on.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (4 children)

    The use of passive voice throughout your comment is almost impressive.

    What do those other buildings provide that data centers don't?

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  • [–] 11 points 2 months ago

    I get what you are saying. I know. But that strip mall is gonna have a parking lot the size Montana. It will contain 2 mattress stores, a noodle place and a denture store. The noodle place will go out of business and shutdown. The other 3 will remain open for the next 12 years by magic or something, cause you never see a single person there. We need housing yes. Affordable housing. The houses that the forest was cleared for will be 500k plus, contractor grade, where you get to choose from 3 designs, and its built off a two lane road that is never improved to handle a 1000 home neighborhood. At least, that is all that is popping up around me.

    Id rather have the forest any day.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Not OP, but houses provide housing. Strip malls provide spaces for local businesses. Data center literally provide nothing to the local community they are built in other than stress on existing utilities. It's not like factories of yore where 1k jobs would be created and lives were built around it.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

    Not true. The normal issue is bad. The data center issue so insanely worse, as they are not just taking up a single plot but also much more for their power production. Like, entire forests for biofuel power plants for example. Then there is the water consumption and pollution, on top of all the air pollution. Then there the case of an entire plot of land being used for zero housing, meaning other plots of land need to be converted into housing instead. Data centers solve nothing, they just create loads of issues. Housing solve the housing crisis.

    What you're saying is that a gunshot to the heart is similar to a papercut in your finger.

    My solution would be to create better public transportation and pedestrian / cycling infrastructure so massive parkinglots can be redeveloped into housing. Please note there are no data centers in my proposed solution.

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