#ambulance services market

[industryinsightsandanalysis]

The Evolution and Expansion of the Ambulance Services Market

The ambulance services market, a crucial segment of the healthcare industry, plays an indispensable role in providing emergency medical assistance and transportation. This market has evolved significantly over the years, driven by advancements in medical technology, increasing healthcare awareness, and a growing need for prompt medical services. This article explores the current landscape, key drivers, challenges, and future prospects of the ambulance services market.

Current Market Overview

The ambulance services market encompasses a wide range of services, including emergency and non-emergency transportation, air ambulances, and specialized medical transport. The market is categorized by vehicle type, service type, and end-user. Ground ambulances remain the most common, but air ambulances are gaining traction for critical and long-distance transport.

The rise in healthcare expenditures and the increased prevalence of chronic diseases necessitating frequent hospital visits have bolstered the demand for reliable ambulance services. Moreover, the integration of advanced life support systems and telemedicine capabilities into ambulances has enhanced their efficiency and effectiveness.

Key Drivers of Market Growth

1. Rising Incidence of Road Accidents and Medical Emergencies: The increasing number of road accidents and medical emergencies, such as cardiac arrests and strokes, drives the demand for efficient ambulance services. Immediate medical attention during such incidents is critical for improving survival rates and outcomes.

2. Aging Population: The global increase in the elderly population, who are more susceptible to health issues and emergencies, is a significant driver. The need for frequent medical transportation for routine check-ups, hospital admissions, and emergency services is growing in tandem with the aging demographic.

3. Technological Advancements: The incorporation of advanced technologies such as GPS tracking, real-time data transmission, and telemedicine into ambulance services has revolutionized the market. These advancements ensure quicker response times, better patient monitoring, and enhanced coordination with healthcare facilities.

4. Government Initiatives and Funding: Many governments worldwide are investing in improving emergency medical services. Policies aimed at strengthening healthcare infrastructure and providing subsidized ambulance services contribute significantly to market growth.

5. Increasing Healthcare Awareness: With greater awareness about the importance of timely medical intervention, the general population is more inclined to use ambulance services. Public and private sector efforts to educate people about emergency response protocols are also fueling market expansion.

For a comprehensive analysis of the market drivers https://univdatos.com/report/ambulance-services-market/

Challenges and Restraints

Despite the positive growth trajectory, the ambulance services market faces several challenges:

- High Operational Costs: The costs associated with maintaining and operating a fleet of ambulances, especially air ambulances, can be substantial. These costs include vehicle maintenance, medical equipment, and personnel training.

- Regulatory Hurdles: Compliance with stringent regulations and standards can be complex and costly for service providers. Different regions have varying requirements, which can pose challenges for multinational operations.

- Limited Accessibility in Rural Areas: Providing efficient ambulance services in remote and rural areas remains a challenge due to poor infrastructure and logistical difficulties.

Regional Insights

North America dominates the ambulance services market, attributed to its advanced healthcare infrastructure, high healthcare spending, and robust emergency response systems. Europe follows, with substantial investments in healthcare services and a well-organized emergency medical system.

The Asia-Pacific region is emerging as a lucrative market, driven by rapid urbanization, increasing healthcare awareness, and government initiatives to improve healthcare access. Countries like India and China are witnessing significant growth in demand for ambulance services due to their large populations and expanding healthcare sectors.

For a sample report, visit https://univdatos.com/get-a-free-sample-form-php/?product_id=21990

Future Prospects

The future of the ambulance services market looks promising, with several trends expected to shape its growth:

- Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI and machine learning can enhance route optimization, patient monitoring, and predictive maintenance of ambulance fleets.

- Expansion of Air Ambulance Services: As technology advances and costs decrease, air ambulance services are expected to become more widespread, offering faster response times for critical situations.

- Sustainability Efforts: There is a growing focus on reducing the carbon footprint of ambulance services through the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles.

Conclusion

The ambulance services market is poised for substantial growth, driven by technological advancements, increasing healthcare demands, and supportive government policies. While challenges exist, the continuous evolution of services and integration of new technologies promise a future where ambulance services are more efficient, accessible, and capable of providing critical medical support when needed most.

Contact Us:

UnivDatos Market Insights

Email - contact@univdatos.com

Contact Number - +1 9782263411x

Website -www.univdatos.com

[neha24blog]

Ambulance Services Market Outlook On The Basis Of Transport Vehicle, Equipment, Emergency Services, Type, Region And Forecast From 2022 to 2030: Grand View Research Inc.

Ambulance Services Market Outlook On The Basis Of Transport Vehicle, Equipment, Emergency Services, Type, Region And Forecast From 2022 to 2030: Grand View Research Inc.

San Francisco, 18 Nov 2022: The Report Ambulance Services Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Transport Vehicle (Ground Ambulance), By Emergency Services, By Equipment, By Region, And Segment Forecasts 2022 – 2030 The global ambulance services market size is expected to reach USD 82.4 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to…

[soumyafwr]

https://biiut.com/read-blog/68828_air-ambulance-services-market-size-overview-share-and-forecast-2031.html

Air Ambulance Services Market Size, Overview, Share and Forecast 2031

[marketreports-blog]

According to latest report, the U.S. ambulance services market size was estimated at USD 19.15 billion in 2023 and is projected to hit around USD 52.78 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 10.67 % during the forecast period from 2024 to 2033.

[medi-techinsights]

Global Air Ambulance Services Market Size, Share, Trends, Growth Opportunities, Demand, Scope & Challenges by 2027

The sky is not just the limit; it's a lifeline for those in dire need of a rapid and an efficient medical care. The Air Ambulance Services Market Research Report for 2023 provides a comprehensive overview of this dynamic and crucial market, showcasing the latest trends, challenges, and innovations shaping the world of aeromedical transportation. As air ambulance services continue to evolve, it's essential to stay informed about the latest developments, market drivers, and the impact on healthcare access and outcomes.

Growing Role of Air Ambulance Services

The report opens with an exploration of the vital role played by air ambulance services in modern healthcare. It emphasizes the ability of air ambulances to reach remote and underserved areas rapidly and provide life-saving care during critical situations. With statistics highlighting the significance of timely access to advanced medical services, the report establishes the context for the critical work carried out by air ambulance providers.

Market Segmentation: Air Ambulance Services Market

The Air Ambulance Services Market Research Report 2023 meticulously breaks down the industry into various segments, offering a detailed analysis of each. These segments include:

a. Emergency Medical Services (EMS): A deep dive into the world of EMS via air, focusing on the types of emergencies handled, equipment used, and the critical importance of timely response.

b. Commercial Air Ambulances: An examination of the services provided by commercial air ambulance companies, including the medical equipment and staff expertise they offer.

c. Government and Military Air Ambulances: An analysis of the role of government and military aircraft in providing medical evacuation services during emergencies and conflicts.

Key Market Trends: Air Ambulance Services Market

The report highlights the latest trends in the air ambulance services industry. It explores the growing emphasis on telemedicine and the integration of cutting-edge medical technology within air ambulances. Additionally, it discusses the development of eco-friendly, fuel-efficient aircraft for sustainability and the role of data analytics in optimizing patient care during transportation.

Emerging Challenges in the Air Ambulance Services Market

Every industry faces challenges, and the air ambulance services sector is no exception. The report delves into issues such as cost and affordability, regulatory hurdles, and the ethical considerations surrounding pricing and insurance. It also discusses the impact of weather conditions on operations and the need for continuous training and certification of medical personnel.

Key Market Players and Competitive Analysis: Air Ambulance Services Market

Some of the leading players operating in the global air ambulance services market are Acadian Ambulance, Air Methods, American Air Ambulance, Babcock Scandinavian Air Ambulance, Capital Air Ambulance, Express Air Medical Transport, IAS Medical, Ltd., REVA Inc., Lifeguard Ambulance Service LLC., MED FLIGHT, and PHI Air Medical.

Future Growth Projections of Air Ambulance Services Market

The Air Ambulance Services Market Research Report 2023 concludes with a glimpse into the future of the industry. It anticipates further integration of air ambulance services into regional healthcare systems, emphasizing the importance of coordination between ground and air-based healthcare providers. The report also predicts advances in drone technology and their potential applications in emergency medical transport.

Air ambulance services have become a beacon of hope for those facing medical emergencies, regardless of their location. The Air Ambulance Services Market Research Report 2023 serves as a valuable resource for industry professionals, policymakers, and the general public. It sheds light on the challenges and opportunities in this vital field, offering insights that can shape the future of healthcare accessibility and patient outcomes. As the air ambulance services industry continues to soar to new heights, this report helps stakeholders stay informed and adaptable, ensuring that lives continue to be lifted to safety and health, even in the most critical of circumstances.

Get Detailed Insights on Air Ambulance Services Market with TOC & FREE Sample Report @ https://meditechinsights.com/air-ambulance-services-market/

[qy-research-medical]

The Europe air ambulance services market size was valued at USD 4.6 billion in 2022 and is estimated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5% from 2023 to 2032.

[sayruq]

The Israeli military has destroyed nearly 200,000 housing units, either completely or partially, since the start of its latest assault on the Gaza Strip following Hamas's surprise attack on October 7. Mohammad Ziyara, the Palestinian minister of public works and housing, said on Thursday the bombardment has "erased entire families from the civil registry,", as well as "neighbourhoods and residential communities". "[It] also destroyed facilities, including hospitals, places of worship, bakeries, water filling stations, markets, schools, and educational and service institutions,” Ziyara added in a statement. Home to some 2.3 million people, the Gaza Strip covers a tiny area of 365sq km (141sq miles). According to the UN's humanitarian office, at least 45 percent of all housing units in the enclave have been damaged or destroyed in the Israeli attacks. Among the areas hit the hardest have been Beit Hanoon, Beit Lahiya, Shujaiya, the neighbourhoods around the Shati refugee camp, and Abasan al-Kabira in Khan Younis. An estimated 1.4 million people in Gaza have been internally displaced due to the relentless bombardment, with some 629,000 sheltering in 150 UN-designated emergency shelters. Meanwhile, Israel's total blockade on fuel entering the enclave is seriously affecting critical functions in all hospitals, risking the lives of at least 130 premature babies in incubators, 1,000 kidney dialysis patients who have had to reduce their treatment sessions, and front-line ambulance workers who cannot access the sick when the fuel runs out. Since 2007, when Hamas came to power, Israel has maintained strict control over Gaza’s airspace and territorial waters and restricted the movement of goods and people in and out of the enclave

If you click on the article, you'll be able to see the before and after pictures of Gaza. The sheer devastation is mind boggling

[qyresearchmedica]

The global air ambulance service market size was USD 5.50 Billion in 2021 and is expected to register a revenue CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The health industry’s invisible hand is a fist

On June 21, I'm doing an ONLINE READING for the LOCUS AWARDS at 16hPT. On June 22, I'll be in OAKLAND, CA for a panel and a keynote at the LOCUS AWARDS.

The US has the rich world's most expensive health care system, and that system delivers the worst health outcomes of any country in the rich world. Also, the US is unique in relying on market forces as the primary regulator of its health care system. All of these facts are related!

Capitalism's most dogmatic zealots have a mystical belief in the power of markets to "efficiently allocate" goods and services. For them, the process by which goods and services are offered and purchased performs a kind of vast, distributed computation that "discovers the price" of everything. Our decisions to accept or refuse prices are the data that feeds this distributed computer, and the signals these decisions send about our desires triggers investment decisions by sellers, which guides the whole system to "equilibrium" in which we are all better off.

There's some truth to this: when demand for something exceeds the supply, prices tend to go up. These higher prices tempt new sellers into the market, until demand is met and prices fall and production is stabilized at the level that meets demand.

But this elegant, self-regulating system rarely survives contact with reality. It's the kind of simplified model that works when we're hypothesizing about perfectly spherical cows of uniform density on a frictionless surface, but ceases to be useful when it encounters a messy world of imperfect rationality, imperfect information, monopolization, regulatory capture, and other unavoidable properties of reality.

For members of the "efficient market" cult, reality's stubborn refusal to behave the way it does in their thought experiments is a personal affront. Panged by cognitive dissonance, the cult members insist that any market failures in the real world are illusions caused by not doing capitalism hard enough. When deregulation and markets fail, the answer is always more deregulation and more markets.

That's the story of the American health industry in a nutshell. Rather than accepting that people won't shop for the best emergency room while unconscious in an ambulance, or that the "clearing price" of "not dying of cancer" is "infinity," the cult insists that America's worst-in-class, most expensive health system just needs more capitalism to turn it into a world leader.

In the 1980s, Reagan's court sorcerers decreed that they could fix health care with something called "Prospective Payment Systems," which would pay hospitals a lump sum for treating conditions, rather than reimbursing them for each procedure, using competition and profit motives to drive "efficiency." The hospital system responded by "upcoding' patients: if you showed up with a broken leg and a history of coronary disease, they would code you as a heart patient and someone who needed a cast. They'd collect both lump sums, slap a cast on you, and wheel you out the door:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4195137/

As Robert Kuttner writes for The American Prospect, this kind of abuse was predictable from the outset, especially since Health and Human Services is starved of budget for auditors and can only hand out "slaps on the wrist" when they catch a hospital ripping off the system:

https://prospect.org/economy/2024-06-13-fantasyland-general/

Upcoding isn't limited to Medicare fraud, either. Hospitals and insurers are locked in a death-battle over payments, and hospitals' favorite scam is sending everyone to the ER, even when they don't have emergencies (some hospitals literally lock all the doors except for the ER entrance). That way, a normal, uncomplicated childbirth can be transformed into a "Level 5" emergency treatment (the highest severity of emergency) and generate a surprise bill of over $2,700:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/27/crossing-a-line/#zero-fucks-given

The US health industry is bad enough to generate a constant degree of political will for change, but the industry (and its captured politicians and regulators) is also canny enough to dream up an endless procession of useless gimmicks designed to temporarily bleed off the pressure for change. In 2018, HHS passed a rule requiring hospitals to publish their prices.

Hospitals responded to this with a shrewd gambit: they simply ignored the rule. So in 2021, HHS made another rule, creating penalties for ignoring the first rule:

https://www.cms.gov/priorities/key-initiatives/hospital-price-transparency/hospitals

The theory here was that publishing prices would create "market discipline." Again, this isn't wholly nonsensical. To the extent that patients have nonurgent conditions and the free time to shop around, being able to access prices will help them. Indeed, if the prices are in a standards-defined, machine-readable form, patients and their advocates could automatically import them, create price-comparison sites, leaderboards, etc. None of this addresses the core problem that health-care is a) a human right and b) not a discretionary expense, but it could help at the margins.

But there's another wrinkle here. The same people who claim that prices can solve all of our problems also insist that monopolies are impossible. They've presided over a decades-long assault on antitrust law that has seen hospitals, pharma companies, insurers, and a menagerie of obscure middlemen merge into gigantic companies that are too big to fail and too big to jail. When a single hospital system is responsible for the majority of care in a city or even a county, how much punishment can regulators realistically subject it to?

Not much, as it turns out. Kuttner describes how Mass Gen Brigham cornered the market on health-care in Boston, allowing it to flout the rules on pricing. In addition to standard tricks – like charging self-pay patients vastly more than insured payments (because individuals don't have the bargaining power of insurers), Mass Gen Brigham's price data is a sick joke.

See for yourself! The portal will send you giant, unstructured, ZIPped text files filled with cryptic garbage like:

ADJUSTABLE C TAPER NECK PLUS|1|UNITED HEALTHCARE [1016]|HB CH UNITED HMO / PPO / INDEMNITY [34]|UNITED HEALTHCARE HMO [101604]|75|Inv Loc: 1004203; from OR location 1004203|52.02|Inpatient PAF; 69.36% Billed|75|Inv Loc: 1004203; from OR location 1004203|56.87|Outpatient PAF; 75.83% Billed

https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/patient-care/patient-visitor-information/billing/cms-required-hospital-charge-data

These files have tens of thousands of rows. As a patient, you are meant to parse through these in order to decide whether you're getting ripped off on that HIP STEM 16X203MM SIZE 4 FEMORAL PRESS FIT NEUTRAL REVISION TITANIUM you're in the market for (as it happens, I have two of these in my body).

Kuttner describes the surreal lengths he had to go through to prevent his mother from getting ripped off by Mass Gen through an upcoding hustle. By coding her as "admitted for observation," Mass Gen was able to turn her into an outpatient, with a 20% co-pay (this is down to a GW Bush policy that punishes hospitals that charge Medicare for inpatient care when they could be treated as outpatients – hospitals reflexively game the system to make every patient an outpatient, even if they have overnight hospital stays).

Kuttner's an expert on this: he was national policy correspondent for the New England Journal of Medicine and covers the health beat for the Prospect. Even so, it took him ten hours of phone calls to two doctors' offices and Blue Cross to resolve the discrepancy. The average person is not qualified to do this – indeed, the average person won't even know they've been upcoded.

Needless to say that people in other countries – countries where health care is cheaper and the outcomes are better – are baffled by this. Canadians, Britons, Australians, Germans, Finns, etc do not have to price-shop for their care. They don't have to hawkishly monitor their admission paperwork for sneaky upcodes. They don't have to spend ten hours on the phone arguing about esoteric billing practices.

In a rational world, we'd compare the American system to the rest of the world and say, "Well, they've figured it out, we should do what they're doing." But in good old U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!, the answer to this is more prices, more commercialization, more market forces. Just rub some capitalism on it!

That's where companies like Multiplan come in: this is a middleman that serves other middlemen. Multiplan negotiates prices on behalf of insurers, and splits the difference between the list price and the negotiated price with them:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/07/us/health-insurance-medical-bills.html

But – as the Arm and a Leg podcast points out – this provides the perverse incentive for Multiplan to drive list prices up. If the list price quintuples, and then Multiplan drives it back down to, say, double the old price, they collect more money. Meanwhile, your insurer sticks you with the bill, over and above your deductible and co-pay:

https://armandalegshow.com/episode/multiplan/

The Multiplan layer doesn't just allow insurers to rip you off (though boy does it allow insurers to rip you off), it also makes it literally impossible to know what the price is going to be before you get your procedure. As with any proposition bet, the added complexity is there to make it impossible for you to calculate the odds and figure out if you're getting robbed:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/04/house-always-wins/#are-you-on-drugs

Multiplan is the purest expression of market dynamics brainworms I've yet encountered: solving the inefficiencies created by the complexity of a system with too many middlemen by adding another middle-man who is even more complex.

No matter what the problem is with America's health industry, the answer is always the same: more markets! Are older voters getting pissed off at politicians for slashing Medicare? No problem: just create Medicare Advantage, where old people can surrender their right to government care and place themselves in the loving hands of a giant corporation that makes more money by denying them care.

The US health industry is a perfect parable about the dangers of trusting shareholder accountable markets to do the work of democratically accountable governments. Shareholders love monopolies, so they drove monopolization throughout the health supply chain. As David Dayen writes in his 2020 book Monopolized the pharma industry monopolized first, and put the screws to hospitals:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/29/fractal-bullshit/#dayenu

Hospitals formed regional monopolies to counter the seller power of consolidated Big Pharma. That's Mass Gen's story: tapping the capital markets to buy other hospitals in the region until it became too big to fail and too big to jail (and too big to care). Consolidated hospitals, in turn, put the screws to insurers, so they also consolidated, fighting Big Hospital's pricing power.

Monopoly at any point in a supply chain leads to monopoly throughout the supply chain. But patients can't consolidate (that's what governments are for – representing the diffuse interests of people). Neither can health workers (that's what unions are for). So the system screwed everyone: patients paid more for worse care. Health workers put in longer hours under worse conditions and got paid less.

Kuttner describes how his eye doctor races from patient to patient "as if he was on roller skates." When Kuttner wrote him a letter questioning the quality of care, the eye doctor answered that he understood that he was giving his patients short shrift, but explained that he had to, because his pay was half what he needed, relegating him to a small apartment and an old car. The hospital – which skims the payments he gets for care – sets his caseload, and he can't turn down patients.

The answers to this are obvious: get markets out of health care. Unionize health workers. Give regulators the budgets and power to hold health corporations to account.

But for market cultists, all of that can't work. Instead, we have to create more esoteric middlemen like "pharmacy benefit managers" and Multiplan. We need more prices to shovel into the market computer's data-hopper. If we just capitalism hard enough, surely the system will finally work…someday.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/13/a-punch-in-the-guts/#hayek-pilled

[covid-safer-hotties]

Deaths Are Up Post-Covid, and So Are Funeral Stocks: Prognosis - Published Aug 19, 2024

The Business of Death Aussies, Americans, and Brits — and no doubt people in many other nations — are dying faster than before the pandemic.

Even though Covid waves are becoming less deadly, thanks mostly to increased immune protection from vaccinations and prior infections, the coronavirus remains a significant killer. And stubbornly high all-cause mortality rates indicate that its direct and indirect effects are helping drive a sustained increase in death and disease around the globe.

It’s depressing news, I know.

With death comes bereavement, and there’s been a lot of that since SARS-CoV-2 began spreading widely in late 2019. The number of officially reported Covid fatalities (7.1 million worldwide) doesn’t fully explain the trend in excess deaths. (Neither do Covid vaccines, since body bags were piling up months before the shots were released, and multiple studies show the immunizations protect against severe illness and death).

There’s no silver lining to the tragic loss of life. But if one group sees an upside, it’s those providing funerals, cremations, and burials. Publicly traded companies handling funerals and related services have handed investors an average 79% return since Jan. 1, 2020 — outpacing the 60% gain in the MSCI All Country World Index, one of the broadest measures of the global equity market.

The US highlights the morbid picture. In the two decades before the pandemic, the number of deaths had been climbing at an average clip of almost 1% a year — reflecting population growth and aging, and the devastating opioid epidemic — for a crude rate in 2019 of 869.7 deaths for every 100,000 Americans.

Covid catapulted the rate well beyond 1,000 in 2020 and 2021 before the rate dropped back to just over 984 in 2022. Last year, there were 927.4 deaths per 100,000 people in the US — almost 12% above the 20-year average — for nearly 3.1 million deaths all up.

The coronavirus directly and indirectly contributed to many of them. For instance, a jump in drug overdoses and alcohol use–related diseases during the pandemic likely added to fatalities from unintentional injuries and chronic liver disease in 2023, according to a study this month. Covid also led to more cardiometabolic disease, and age-adjusted mortality rates for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke were above pre-pandemic levels.

Last month, researchers reported similar findings in Australia, where emergency departments have taken longer to hospitalize patients arriving in ambulances — a sign of health-system stress associated with a greater risk of patients dying up to 30 days after their initial medical encounter.

Mortality rates in England have also stayed persistently high since Covid hit, likely reflecting the direct effects of the illness, pressures on the National Health Service, and disruptions to chronic disease detection and management, researchers said in a study in January.

“The greatest numbers of excess deaths in the acute phase of the pandemic were in older adults,” Jonny Pearson-Stuttard and colleagues wrote. “The pattern now is one of persisting excess deaths, which are most prominent in relative terms in middle-aged and younger adults.”

Almost five years into the pandemic, dodging SARS-CoV-2 still remains one of the best ways to avoid adding to the toll — and the frequency of funerals. —Jason Gale

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

About a possible security risk staged incident.

DM has an article out highlighting the military security Nigeria is giving them courtesy of Nigerian taxpayers.

Apparently they had a 14car motorcade to pick them up from the airport, two of which are ambulances. 

This is the standard motorcade they are using today and presumably for rest of visit. 

The pictures show soldiers armed to the teeth and wearing balaclavas which is a sign of special forces. 

Plus they took with them 4 of their own security team including the British ex-RPO and that American Ex-secret service guy. 

I just watched a small clip of Harold being received by the Governor of Abuja ( or is it Aduna). The military swarming the vehicles were quite alarming. They were quite rough with anyone too close including the media teams recording the event.

I'd love to see what they come up with to out-do the catastrophic car chase that never was in NYC or the Fiji market.

Yet, I also don't want them to try anything because those military guys were quite agitated and look like they'd shoot first and ask questions later. 

[hesbuckcompton-baby]

Notes on historical context

A huge part of fic writing in the HBO War fandom lies in historical research - I'm sure my writer friends can all attest to this - and it's personally one of my favourite parts of the whole process! As a result, I've decided to compile a few notes on the history used in my two current MoTA fics; I'm Your Man and Better Off

I'm aware this probably isn't interesting to a lot of people, but to any kindred spirits I hope you enjoy 😂

I'm Your Man

Frankie's hometown - Stratford-upon-Avon

Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town in the county of Warwickshire in the English West Midlands, which has existed as a settlements since the Roman occupation, but is particularly notable for being the birthplace of famous playwright William Shakespeare. The house in which Shakespeare grew up in remains a popular tourist attraction, evidencing visits from several notable writers including Charles Dickens and Lord Byron.

The Coventry Blitz

In Chapter 4, Frankie references the Coventry Blitz - a series of bombing raids between 1940-42, most notably on the night of 14th November 1940. In a single night, two-thirds of the city's buildings were damaged or destroyed, making it the most concentrated bombing of an English city in the entire war. In the aftermath, the word 'Coventration' was coined by Joseph Goebells to refer to the act of completely destroying a city through aerial attacks. I have spoken to people who lived in the towns around Coventry during this time who recall large groups of displaced families walking from town to town in search of shelter, as the destruction of housing was so extensive that people could not remain within the city.

Rationing

In the first few chapters, Frankie makes several references to the state of food rationing in 1943. Throughout the Second World War, food supply in the UK was severely limited due to its reliance on imports, and the economic state was so dire following the war that Britain continued rationing until 1954. Huge campaigns were introduced encouraging people to grow and supply their own food, and many commodities became unavailable due to shortages in certain ingredients. One such example was the production of Cadbury's chocolate, which had to be altered to 'Ration chocolate' due to milk shortages.

The Young Visiters by Daisy Ashford

In Chapter 7, Frankie is seen reading The Young Visiters, a hugely popular book published in 1919. The book's charm and popularity came from its author, as Daisy Ashford was allegedly only nine years old at the time of publication, and her unconventional writing and youthful misunderstanding of Victorian high society lend to the book's rather bizarre sense of humour.

Education

In Chapter 6, Rosie learns to his surprise that Frankie has not attended school since she was 14 years old. Under the 1918 Education Act, the school leaving age was raised from 12 to 14 years old, with high drop-out rates due to the inaccessibility of many schools to the working class.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Better Off

The ATS

The Auxiliary Territorial Service was active from 1938, and operated as the women's branch of the British Army until it was absorbed into the Women's Royal Army Corps in 1949. The National Service Act of 1941 called for all unmarried women between the ages of 20 and 30 to join one of Britain's auxiliary services, and by 1943 nine of out every ten women were taking an active role in the war effort. Due to manpower shortages, many ATS women took on roles in radar and anti-aircraft defense, resulting over 700 casualties throughout the war. Most notable of the ATS volunteers was Princess Elizabeth Windsor (later Elizabeth II), who worked as a mechanic as well as driving lorries and ambulances.

The Manchester Blitz

The attack which killed Susie's sister Ellie was a part of a series of bombing raids known as the Manchester Blitz, which took place between 1940 and 1942. Manchester and its surrounding towns were key for war production, and as such targeted heavily by the Luftwaffe, resulting in approximately 1,000 deaths. The nights of the 22nd and 23rd of December 1940 were the most devastating attacks on Manchester during the war, with more than 450 tons of explosives dropped across the two consecutive nights.

Back-to-back houses

The home that Susie's family were raised in was part of a large wave of construction in the UK of so-called 'back-to-backs', designed to support the huge influx of working-class families moving into urban areas during the Industrial Revolution. Back-to-backs were built quickly and cheaply, and named due to their shared back walls, which saw one row of houses facing the street and another rear row facing either another road or an interior courtyard. These houses were often very cramped, with only one room per floor, and usually had two to three stories, occasionally with a cellar too.

It was rare for back-to-backs to accommodate indoor plumbing, with washhouses and toilets located outside in the yards. Due to poor living conditions, the construction of new back-to-backs was forbidden in 1909 after a report discovered mortality rates to be significantly higher than those of people living in other styles of housing. Waves of slum clearance before and after the Second World War saw the numbers of back-to-backs decline rapidly, and Leeds remains the only area of England that still contains large numbers of livable back-to-backs. The only surviving courtyard back-to-backs now exist in Birmingham, preserved as a museum.

[alpaca-clouds]

Electric Cars Suck

There is some irony in how things turned out, right? Like eight years ago or so it was mostly the left who was like: "We need more electro mobility!" And the people on the right were like: "Noooo! We need our gas guzzlers that go VROOOOOM!" And somehow now the people on the right buy their stupid cybertrucks, while the people on the left have in large numbers converted to: "Actually, all cars fucking suck."

And hey, that's me. I am in that story. Because actually, all cars fucking suck!

But let's be a bit more serious: The main issue with cars is not even the CO2, the fine particles, or the microplastics they generate. (Yes, most microplastics in the environment originate with cars!) The main issue is, that we live in a car-centric society, that is so very much inaccessible for anyone who does not have a car.

And let's be honest here: In this regard I am complaining as someone with a lot of things going for me: I live in Germany and I live in a city here. We have actually somewhat working public transport, and even my physically disabled ass is capable of reaching the next super market, pharmacy, doctor's office and library within 5 minutes on foot. Sure, due to a lack of bus drivers (which again is due to a lack of proper payment for said bus drivers) they cut some of the bus lines here, making the time I need to get to the next hospital go up by a good chunk, but... What I am saying is: Hey, I am at least not living in the USA, where it is basically impossible to get around in a lot of places when you have no car, because the infrastructure is just so bloody car-centric.

And that is the reason why cars just suck so darn much. Because they need all that infrastructure that makes it harder for everyone to get around.

And the double issue with that is, that some people will still need cars no matter what, even if we try to improve that. I spoke about it before: Some disabled people will always need cars to get around, because they just do not have an alternative due to a variety of reasons. And some services (like ambulances, fire fighters and so on) will also just need cars. Which taken together means that we need to maintain some infrastructure.

Generally speaking I feel, a lot of folks within the Solarpunk scene do underestimate this issue, too. Especially in concern to the USA, Canada and some other colonizer cities in the global south, that have been created very much with cars in mind.

In Europe, most cities have been created with horse drawn carriages in mind and people who walk on foot. Sure, they have been retrofitted to allow for cars, but that retrofitting can easily be toned down in a way that would allow those cars that are needed to pass through, but allow the areas to be used otherwise. (I mean, we have several cities here were you can still see that the city originally has been build by Romans some 2000 years ago, because the city map features certain Roman city planning styles.) It is not really so hard to turn those cities into 15-minute-cities again.

But in the US? In the US a lot of the cities have always been constructed with the car in mind, and the entire street plan is organized around the car. Lots of wide streets. Lots of parking lots. Lots of other facilities that are needed for cars. Sure, you can reuse some of the space. But that does not negate the fact that everything has this wide sprawl that makes it a lot harder to get around. And that really is a problem if someone tried to make 15-minute-cities here. Because frankly... In some areas there just would not be another way but to just tear it all down to rethink city planning once more.

Like, sure, in the city cores it is not that much of an issue. Turning Manhatten into a 15-minute-city is not the issue. But the wider area of New York city? Eh... And in other cities it is worse, of course.

And yeah, those issues - the stupid infrastructure cars need... It is still the same, no matter whether the car goes VROOOOOOM or BZZZT.

[ultimate-worldbuilding]

CITIES

A full list of what a modern / sci-fi city needs. You can incorporate many elements into your fantasy city as well. Of course you don't need this many things, but sometimes it can help your story if you understand and think about how your world works.

Electricity and energy resources

If your city has electricity, or anything similar to it, it's worth considering where this energy comes from. Is it renewable energy, or not? Is it something else entirely? (Is it magic?) These buildings and facilities are usually located on the outskirt of cities.

Windmill Location: Flat planes, maybe even deserts. Tailor it: break up the structure of a today's windmill: e.g. what if they are way bigger, or people live in it, etc

Nuclear Power Plant Location: Anywhere, in space, under the water, in the sky, inside the terrain. Prompts: What about accidents? Secret labs inside the plant?

Storm Power Plant Location: Almost anywhere, in the sky, in space, on space ships, planes, etc. Further ideas: tornados, harvesting lightning, harvesting the power of the wind with fortified windmills, sun storms in space.

Water related power plants Using the energy of a flowing river,sea waves, or even a vortex.

Burning power plant Burning trash, coal, diesel, gases or your world's fuel. This can be very polluting in your world, which can add up to your worldbuilding: green activist wants this plant closed, people getting sick aournd the plant, etc.

Geaothermal Power Plant Using the planet's heat to generate energy. You can put this anwhere on your ground or under.

Solar Power Plants These need a lot of place. If you are also making a map, be sure to add these on places where they actually get sunlight. (Don't put them on the north side of a mountain.) prompts: what if somebody covers them on purpose?

Health, Life and Death

All health and mental health related facilities (even for pets). Tailor these to your worlds problems, diseases and conditions (e.g. cyberpsychosis in Cyberpunk 2077) You can put these fqacilities, together, or even in a very different location, for example a floating private clinic above the city. You can even use virtual worlds as a twist.

Hospitals and clinics General hospitals, clinics and private ones.

Doctor's office

Ambulance station

Cyberware repair clinic

Drug Rehabilitation Centers

Vets Vets for people's pets, you can even add robot vets, for robot pets.

Nursing Homes Home for the elderly.

Asylums Home for people with serious mental health problems.

Pharmacies Are these private? Are there black market versions? What medicines can you buy here?

Dentist Promp questions: Are there any unique procedures? Do people's teeth are different? What about dentists for different species?

Sanatorium These usually are in the nicest parts of a city in the outskirts. They do have big gardens too. It can be even in space too, or even virtually.

Morgue Story tips: you can include a place like this for investigations or horror elements.

Cemetry Before diving deep into this one, state how your people bury their loved ones. The method the whole cemetry. Here are some burial types from the world:- Leaving the body in nature (or space)- Embalming, and preserving- Leaving in water (or space), or let it sail away on a ship- Burning the body (by fire, or by sunfire), and placing the urns in a sacred place (space, ground, buildings, etc.)- Buring the body under ground

Crematorium Used if your people burn bodies.

Quarantine zone

Misc Essentials

As these are essentials, they can be targets in a conflict. This can help your story further.

Fire station

Water tower (and storage) If it doesn't come from a pshysically higher place.

Server buildings

Lighthouse

Transportation and Travel

Transportation can change a lot in a scifi high tech world. I often grab a real concept and put into a different enviroment. Train? Space - Train. Jetski? Sun wave - jetski.When building transportation, think about:- where these vehicles are stored- where you can access the service,- who repairs them and where- where do they go when they are no longer used. These types of transports all have office centers, and they are usually different corporations and companies.If the parking lots or hangars are abonded, it can be a place where homeless people gathered, and live.

Bus stations, depot, stops and repair garages

Spaceship (or airplane) ports, hangars and repair hangars Don't forget to add ports and hangars for military, trading and public transport spaceships.

Metro stations, metro depot

Taxi stations, depot

Ship ports On rivers, sea, ocean, or the sky. (for flying ships but not spaceships.) Don't forget to about military, trading and public transport. These ports can be just platfroms.

Parking lots Multi storey car park.

Rental Renting the vehicles you have in your city, spacehips, cars, ships, etc.

Travel agencies

Fuel stations gas stations for cars, taxies and buses, and fueal stations for spaceships, and ships.Prompts questions: Where are these located? Is there possibility of shortage?

Package receiving point (or drop point)

Warehouses (personal, corporations, cars, etc)

Housing & Homes

Housing is an interesting part of building a city. I advise you to look around in your enviroment, and in the world how people live in different countries. You can always twist these ideas by putting them into a different enviroments (e.g.: shipping containers as living space, in a frosty enviroment, and people use fur to cover the insides for insulation.)

Luxury flats, and houses

Middle class flats, and houses

Lower class flats, and houses

Huge flat blocks (all are the same, available for all classes)

Prebuilt houses (all are the same, available for all classes)

Houses made of different elements You can vary as you want, example: Mass Effect colonies

Shipping containers as homes

Discarded vehicles as homes

Shelters For people, sentient robots, animals, robot animals.

Hotels

Motels

Food and Plants

Questions: Where does food come from in your city? Is it from outside of the city, or does it have some facilities to create food? Where does that food go? How is the food situation in your city? Do people make food at home, or order, or eat prepackaged food?

Grain Processing Plant

Crop fields If you have crops, is there a fungi or incest that is destroying crops? Or an organization?

Restaurants

Cafés

Drive-ins

Fast food restaurant chains

Bakery

Pastry Factory or any factory that makes food that is in everybody's lives, out of the plant the city has on its crop fields.

Food Packaging Factories

Food Processing Plants

Green houses

Nature reserve

Plant nurseries

Ranches for livestock

Slaughterhouses (or syntethic meat producing facilities)

Pastures

Brewery What type of alcohol does the people drink? What are they med of? Are there traditions related to them?

Education, Science & Knowledge

What general education system does your city have? What subjects are there? At what age do usually people finish their studies?

Elementary school

Kindergarten

High School

University

Music School

Library

Science center

Research Facility

Museum

Conservatory

Entertainment and Services

Entertainment and Services are a big part of every day lives. How much fun people have in this city? How much time do people have? Does this have black and extreme sides? Are there regulations in place? Is there a disctrict just for party time or doe poeple do this all around the city?

Ferris-wheel

Bars and Pubs (eg. Vape Bar)

Skating rink (ice, scifi ice skate, etc)

Brothel

Arcade

Arena / Stadium (depends on the setting, and nature of the events held here)

Stripper bar

Dance studio

Barber

Beautician Explore every aspect, different species, and cyberware (if you have these in your world)

Gym

Amusement park

Spa

Aquapark

Fighting rings People, robots, animals, etc. Where is this ring? Are these illegal?

Aquarium

VR café

Circus

Theatre

Zoo

Bowling alley (or any other alley for this type of entertainment)

Racetracks Animals, robots. How much of are these legal? Are there any bets placed on the racers?

Communication

Where do people get their information? Is there internet in your city? What happens when somebody disrupts communication on purpose? Does people/ the government / corporation manipulate the media?

Post office

Media studios TV, Internet, Talk shows, VR, whatever media your cuty uses.

Radiotower

Community centre

Employment agency

Open Spaces

Where people can organize events.

Forum, Square You can include a statue or a monument.

Park (It's scifi or fantasy, you can add floating parks too.)

Skate park (or any other equivalent of extreme sport park in your world, e.g. solar surf park)

Religion & Politics

What religion do people practise? Are there any banned religions? What sacred spacse do they need for that? Are there any districts heavily influenced by one religion? Are their beliefs go against the city council's views? Is religion and politics are connected or not? How do religion and politics influence each other?

Parlament/city council

Mayor's office

Convent

Oracle

Religious spaces Buildings, parks, monuments

The Force and the Law

Military , Police and Law. Do these mix with religion or not?

Military headquarters

Military training centre

Military base

Shooting range (or archer range)

Police Station

Jail & Prison

Military vehicle and gadget repair

Courthouse

Lawyer's office

Market & Financies

What currency does your city use? Are there any undergound currencies? What items and resources can be currencies?

Bank

Shop franchises Apparel, jewelry, furnishing, stationery

Broker's office

Armor shop

Cyberware (or body enhancment) shop

Weapon shop

Market (farmer's , junk, flee, vehicles, etc.)

Black Market

Drug Den

Malls

Corporate Shops (workers can pay from their own salary)

Building & Production

What do people need? Is there a shortage of certain types of products, or oversaturation and overproduction?

Factory: Electronics devices

Factory: Furniture and cutlery

Factory: Home gadgets

Factory: Weapons

Factory: Military equipments

Factory: Vehicles Cars, spaceships, flying cars.

Mining operation

Construction Site

Waste

What types of wastes are produced in your city? Where do they go?

Sewage system Pipes, old pipes that are no longer in use, cisterns. Are there any people living down here?

Junkyard Regular junk, old spaceships, broken cars, broken machines, broken robots. Do people live here or not?

Selective Trash Sorter Facility If your city recycles.