Splaine: A Vision of Portsmouth, 2123

Jun 24, 2023

The Portsmouth of 2123 will arrive in a hundred years. Just as thousands of people visit Portsmouth's downtown this weekend celebrating our 400th anniversary, others will do it again in just 10 decades.

But what will those who call Portsmouth "home" in 2123 see? What will they wear? What will they drive, or otherwise how will they get around? How will they live? And if climate change does cause waters to rise, how will they stay dry?

If we look at the lifestyles of 1923 and see the changes from then to now, we get an idea of the rollercoaster we're in for. Back then, life certainly seemed simpler. Perhaps family members talked more with one another than nowadays without sitting around a giant television with 100-plus channels. At the dinner table, "chat" didn't need a hand-held screen; people moved their lips for more than just eating. Walking or biking were prevailing ways to get around, with new noisy and smelly automobiles only slowly becoming the preferred method. Airplanes were an unusual sight, and few carried paying passengers.

And their idea of "artificial intelligence" was much different than the reality we face.

Portsmouth residents in 1923 were a few years from the Great Depression. World War I had just been won, and families were grieving for loved ones lost or injured. Another world war was 18 years ahead, and several others would be coming after that. Concepts like computers or phones in pockets, and televisions or movies that could be played at home were decades away.

So, what can happen during the coming hundred years? If we avoid tidal waves or earthquakes or major economic decline or more wars and viruses for which we may not be prepared, our future is bright and unlimited. Our city could have positive, balanced growth. If we plan well, a community twice our population with housing availability and affordably could be a reality. Tough to do, but we can do it.

An expanded transportation system could exist with overhead trolleys between Portsmouth, Hampton, and York, as well as with Durham and the Tri-City area, connecting the entire population of our Seacoast. People will enjoy using them for the experience. High-speed Maglev trains could link Portsmouth with Portland and Canada to the North and Boston and New York City to the South, making travel quick, safe, and easy, resulting in vast economic prosperity.

And that walk through downtown Portsmouth where this weekend people from all over are celebrating our 400th anniversary? It could be car-free during much of the day, with overnight deliveries, including by drones, and wide sidewalks where residents and visitors can shop outside at retailers and enjoy dining at restaurants. While businesses help each other to provide employment for hundreds.

More:Splaine: Let's make outdoor dining, festivals and more year-round in Portsmouth

The City Council took giant steps these past three years to get to that vision. It need not take 100 years to accomplish. "Portsmouth Outdoors" could evolve in the next 10 or 20 years. But in doing so, retail stores and restaurants need to be treated fairly and equally, with all downtown residents and businesses involved in planning. Allowances have to be made for deliveries, 15-minute customer parking for quick ins-and-outs, limitation of how many spots each restaurant can lease, and reasonable costs have to be set for outside dining permits that don't encourage restaurants to get more than they need.

More:Splaine: City of the Open Door could become City of the Outdoors

In 2123, some of the downtown box-type hotels and condos we see today will likely hit their expiration date, especially since not many have been built to the construction standards of the old Rockingham Hotel. Perhaps a green-minded citizenry during coming decades will prefer more open space and parks than big buildings and parking lots, making our downtown less cluttered and packed.

Possibilities for our next hundred years are exciting. They can also be foreboding. Much of our future will be affected by actions we take today, but a lot of it will be determined by events outside our influence. That's a challenge we all face.

Today's question: What is YOUR vision of the Portsmouth of 2123? Soon there will be more information about the 2123 time capsule to be placed later this year at a location where those celebrating Portsmouth's 500th anniversary will find it. Letters predicting your own visions can be in it.

Next time: The neighborhood time capsule challenge.

Variously since 1969, Jim Splaine has been Portsmouth assistant mayor for six terms, Police Commission member and School Board member, as well as New Hampshire state senator for six years and representative for 24 years. He can be reached at [email protected].