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A thought experiment:

In the very near future, a global network of engineers, planners, scientists and policy-makers develop the most advanced form of public transit the world’s ever known. It runs solely on renewable resources. It carries tens of thousands of people. It doesn’t stop at intermediary stations. The vehicles themselves are 100% recyclable. It offers door-to-door service. It is fully accessible and includes seat warmers and cup holders. It doesn’t deprive pedestrians, cyclists or cars of road space. It’s whisper quiet.

And just for the sake of argument, it’s invisible too.

It’s called the CableRailGyroCopter and it only costs $50 million per kilometre to build, a pittance compared to other traditional transit technologies, of which urban gondolas are one (this is the future, after all).

Problem is, no city wants to buy the CableRailGyroCopter because it’s unproven. It’s purely theoretical. And because no city wants to be first, investors refuse to invest in the product even though on paper it’s a winner.

The CableRailGyroCopter project is stalled for years. No movement. No buyers. No Cities.

So finally, the global network of engineers, planners, scientists and policy-makers decide to go it alone. They have to, there’s no other choice.

They found a not-for-profit called CRGCNGO (CableRailGyroCopter Non-Governmental Organization). They leverage their own network, and slowly build up a community of thousands dedicated to the CableRailGyroCopter. They raise money. They host bake sales. They get Bill Gates on board and Al Gore thinks it’s a great idea. They use Digg. After five years, CRGCNGO has enough money to finally manufacture and build the first 5 km long CableRailGyroCopter system in world history.

Now . . . Given that a global network of thousands created the CableRailGyroCopter, how should CRGCNGO decide what single city to build it in?