ENBE- Future City

ENBE | Final Project | Part A - Report | The Future City Representation

The Future City

STARDOME

By: Jake Sia Chyi Sern (0314396)

FNBE April 2013 | Taylor's University

Jake Sia Chyi Sern | 0314396 | Group W | FNBE April 2013 | Taylor's University

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Content:

1. Introduction 3

2. A City 4

3. Investigation & data collection: The Ancient Cities 6

4. Investigation & data collection: The Present Cities 8

5. Investigation & data collection: The Future Cities 10

6. The "X" City 12

7. The New "X" City 14

8. The Process and Progress 16

9. The Conclusion 17

References List 18


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1 Introduction

Every city will need to sustain itself just like any living creature, it needs food, energy, protection and a defensive mechanism to remain stable and grow.

To really understand how to make a good city, I have to investigate about past, present and future cities - its strengths and weaknesses. I will also have to consider road systems, transportation, food distribution, housing, waste disposal and etcetera for the large communities that will inhabit the city so that overcrowding is not a problem in the city.

By taking all this into consideration, I have to investigate and collect data from past, present and future cities to plan and propose a new city for the "X" City.


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2 A City

2.1 The definition: -a large permanent settlement

- has a more complex layout than a town

2.2 In the past, a city is usually built where people can have access to:

-food

-water

-trade

-fertile land

-defensive terrain

2.3 A city revolves around business to keep it afloat. Business not only helps to bring in profit but also builds relations with other cities or countries.


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2.4 A good city is made up of many things:

-special attractions

-friendly communities

-advanced technologies

-affordable housing

-solid economy

-good sanitation system

-good education system

-great police protection

2.5 The future city should have better than current cities. That includes technologically, medically, socially, economically and politically.


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3 Investigation & Data Collection: Ancient Cities

3.1 The first cities started to form in Ancient Mesopotamia around 4000-3500 B.C. There is an ancient site called Eridu which is believed to be the first ever city to be created. Why urbanization began in Mesopotamia no one knows for sure. The creation of cities may be because of the lack of rainfall that inspired people to grow farmlands. Another reason may be they needed protection from the wild. Soon after the forming of Eridu, other cities started to emerge such as Nineveh, Jerusalam, Athens Rome. The rising of the Roman Empire happened around the border of B.C. and A.D. that is around 40 B.C.- 476 A.D. where the empire fell to Germanic invaders. These are a few of the many ancient cities that took place thousands of years ago.

3.2 My city is going to be a flying city so the ancient city I am concentrating on is Machu Picchu which stands 2,430m above sea level in the middle of a tropical mountain forest. Machu Picchu, also known as 'the lost city' may most probably be the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire. Since I am doing a flying city, I should pick a city which is also high in the sky because it may have some things in common with a flying city.


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3.3 What makes Machu Picchu a significant place is because its giant wall, terrace and ramps seemed to have been cut naturally in the rock face. This makes the architecture of Machu Picchu blend into the surroundings with its rich diversity of flora and fauna. Machu Picchu also provides a secure habitat for several endangered species such as the spectacled bear, dwarf brocket, the otter, long-tailed weasel, pampas cat, ocelot, boa, the Andean cock of the rock and Andean condor. Machu Picchu is also divided into two sections a residential area and a sacred space. These two sections comprises of quarter 'of the farmers' near the colossal terraces which was later transformed into hanging gardens; an 'industrial' quarter; a 'royal' quarter and a 'religious' quarter.

3.4 In conclusion, Machu Picchu is a very beautiful place, surrounded by nature and its extraordinary landscapes. However, the systems and facilities they used are not good enough in today's context. We would need much more than residential and sacred or religious spaces in the world today. But I like the landscapes a lot and the fact that it has a diversity of flora and fauna.

3.5 What I can take from Machu Picchu and apply it in my city:

-diversity of flora and fauna

-relationship between buildings and the environment

-having a mixture of old and new building designs


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4 Investigation & Data Collection: Present Cities

4.1 Present cities, in my opinion, started during the formation of the United Nations which officially came to existence on 24 October 1945. During that time the 5 security council members were America, The Soviet Union, France, Britain and China. The formation of the United Nations brought peace to the world. That is when present cities were formed till today.

4.2 The city I am concentrating on is none other than Kuala Lumpur.

4.3 What makes Kuala Lumpur significant is being multicultural, having multiple races. This results in many types of building designs ranging from temples to monuments, all have its unique feature. Anyhow, all these features combine to form what me know as Malaysia.


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4.4 In conclusion, Kuala Lumpur's buildings are very diverse but still remain true to its old heritage. This makes Kuala Lumpur a mix of modern and culture.

4.5 I would like to take certain features from Kuala Lumpur to place it in my new city. For instance, the National Monument and National Flag since my new city is also considered part of Malaysia.


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5 Investigation & Data collection: Future Cities

5.1 The future city I am concentrating on is Coruscant from Star Wars also known as 'Imperial Centre' or 'the Queen of the Core'. It was located in the Core Worlds, at the intersection of many major hyperlanes. This makes it the centre of the galaxy. Coruscant used to be covered mostly by oceans but due to overpopulation, the seas were drained to make space. Eventually the whole planet became one big city except at the pole where there are ice caps.

5.2 As stated above, I am concentrating on Coruscant. Since the planet is one big city, technically this makes it a flying city. Which is makes it kind of related to my city theme.

5.3 What makes Coruscant significant is that it is so big that it is divided into thousands of quadrants, where each is further divided into sectors. Coruscant is full of skyscrapers that they have what is called the 'undercity' which is referring to the lower parts of the city where sunlight cannot reach. Artificial lighting is used to substitute the lack of sunlight. In terms of water distribution, since all the oceans were drained the only water source was the ice caps at the pole of Coruscant. Polar stations melted the ice caps and distributed it throughout the planet. In terms of waste disposal, some are transported to other moons for storage and some of the more dangerous wastes are shot to a


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nearby sun to be destroyed. Other than that, the transportation they use in Coruscant are mainly flying cars and monorails. This definitely helps the traffic to flow.

5.4 In conclusion, Coruscant is the ultimate megacity where everything from living space to waste disposal is stretched to the limit to accommodate the hundreds of billions of residents. My only concern is that they did not preserve or conserve nature but just concentrate on business and industrial issues.

5.5 What I can take from Coruscant and apply it in my city:

-improvise to get daily needs (food, water)

-the transportation (flying vehicles)


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6 The "X" City

6.1 Since City X consists of mainly Malaysians, its history would be that of Malaysia.

6.2 The people living in city X is mainly Malaysians, consisting of many races- Malay, Indian, Chinese and etcetera. The population is around 400,000 to 600,000 which is moderately crowded. Since City X consists of different races, it also consists of many religions- Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and etcetera.

6.3 Every culture in City X mostly revolves around its religion which usually requires a religious place of gathering. Every person in the city needs money to survive, hence they have jobs. The jobs there range from medical doctors and lawyers to teachers and shop owners. But every job has a label of good or bad. For example, doctor is a good job whereas the police is a bad job. Maybe this is because of the difference in monthly income that these two job are getting.


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6.4 I always hear people complaining about the massive traffic jams when going to work. A good future city is one that will be free of these complains. The jobs in the future city should also be equally important with each other, then only can the city develop to become well rounded.

6.5 In conclusion, I can take from this city X to the future city is its diversity in religion, culture and race. By doing this I hope that other people will look up to our city for accepting different races and cultures and hopefully this will break the cycle of racism. I also believe that all jobs are equal and have its own part to play in building up the city.


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7 The new City: STARDOME

7.1 The reason I came up with this solution is because there was a problem. The problem started off with the ground being too polluted due to the toxic wastes in the ground. This resulted in frequent earthquakes. The only way to completely avoid earthquakes is to go upwards, hence the solution, a flying city.

7.2 The reason for my city to fly rather than to be underground or underwater is because earthquakes can occur in both land and underwater. Hence, my theory is, the only safe way to go is upwards.

7.3 Among the important characteristics and elements is the transport. In the new city, the vehicles will be able to fly. This not only makes it easier to get around but also reduces traffic jam. This is because the vehicles can not only move forwards or backwards but also upwards and downwards. This creates different levels of traffic. This is somewhat useful for such a compact city.


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7.4 I have separated the layout of the city into several parts:

-governmental area (city hall, bank, city square, government buildings)

-services area (fire department, police department, hospital)

-religious and cultural area (museum, library, religious buildings)

-business area (office blocks, shop lots)

-tourism area (malls, hotels)

-industrial and research area (power plant, water treatment plant, waste disposal,

laboratory)

-educational area (schools)

-shipping area (airport)

-residential area (houses, apartments)

-agricultural and recreational area (vegetation, parks, sport complex)

7.5 In conclusion, despite the new facilities, everything else is pretty much the same, with areas ranging from governmental area to residential area. I will try to make life the way it was before the earthquakes struck the old city.


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8 The Process & Progress


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INITIAL IDEA


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FINAL IDEA


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9 The Conclusion

My city may not be the perfect city. But I hope my city will be labeled as a united city. Reason being said, my city will consist of mainly Malaysians, meaning, the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians and etcetera. My point is my city will be multicultural and multi-religious. Hence, all the races will have to accept each other's culture and religion due to the compact setting of the city. Because a good city does not come from its facilities, goods or attractions, rather, a good community.

From this experience, of creating a new city, I've learnt that it's not all that simple as it seems. I've also learnt to appreciate buildings and infrastructures and the city itself. But at the end of the day, it is not all about the buildings, it is more of what I do for the people using the buildings and establishing relationships with them and the people I work with.


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Reference

http://urbanfutureskeele.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/what-is-a-city/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu

whc.unesco.org › Culture › World Heritage Centre › The List

starwars.com/explore/encyclopedia/locations/coruscant/

starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Coruscant

www.geographia.com/malaysia/klhistory.html


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ENBE- Future City