What makes an ideal city? To continue the question posted by architechnophiliahere, add your 2 cents for what makes a city work or what your ideal city would have.
i'll start by re-posting some previous comments from thread central:
architphil
Total Entries: 32
Total Comments: 758
08/09/07 5:52
definitely start a new city wishlist thread! it would be fun, and probably helpful for both 'techno and 'killer...
i'll start...
sustainable golf course designed by treekiller...
free bikeshare program like they have in copenhagen...
mass transit system of some sort (not sure what would work on the islands)...
green power grid (wind farm, solar, tidal, etc)...
good mix of market rate, attainable, and affordable housing (without segregation)...
good public spaces...
and for LB... grocery stores within walking distance of all neighborhoods...
liberty bell
Total Entries: 18
Total Comments: 5676
08/09/07 5:54
Sidewalks!!! Lots of sidewalks!!!! And traffic calming! Bike lanes integrated into the car patterns! Stop signs at every intersection! And street trees!
And all of this wrapping around modern, climate-appropriate, low-impact well-designed architecture.
Good luck techno! Get it right and all of TC will relocate to live in your new town vision! You can name it "Architechnotopia."
treekiller
In the next few days I start work with a new development corporation and one of the tasks will be the design of a new masterplan for the new town.
Background :: previous town destroyed. A new 100 acre site was found, coastal, with port facilities, hilly terrain. Virgin site minus the beach shacks for dining & diving.
'techno... you may want to read an article that i saw in a recent harvard design magazine... i don't have it here in my office with my, but i'm pretty sure that it was in the fall 2006/winter 2007 issue called "Urban Design Now"... if not it was in the spring/summer 2005 issue called "Urban Planning Now"... i think that the author was Matthew Kiefer... it described how some developers have been able to create "authenticity" by creating leasing conditions that allow non-chain mom & pop type retailers and restaurants to thrive... it is always so difficult to create the conditions for the type of urban environment that we all (or most of us at least) love and Kiefer was able to show how a few enlightened developers have been able to do it...
we "designed" a new city in a grad studio i had back in the late 80's. it was supposed to be set in the "future" year 2020. we had many utopian solutions, but as a design it sucked pretty hard. except mine of course, which only sucked partially.
actually i just looked at the table of contents on the above linked page again...
i think that the article that i'm talking about is in the Urban Design Now issue... is authored by Tim Love... and titled "Urban Design After Battery Park City Opportunities for Variety and Vitality in Large-Scale Urban Real Estate Development"
vado, choice c should be a film inspired by architecture: playtime [tativille]
but i would live in bladerunnerburg [although not a burg!]
high density
mixed use
cool transportation devices
but would nix the monumentality of the bad guy's central [that huge piramid, although there's something cool about it but it doesn't work urban wise].
mom and pop stores: the chinese noodles guy, the asian scientist that does the eyes, and arguably also the strip club.
and also an ingredient that has not been discussed much yet but is difficult in architechnophilia's case [NEW city], which would be aldo rossi's urban artifacts- buildings that remain and evolve over time
I picture something aesthetically similar to south beach, coconuts trees every other 20', clay tile pavement, brass drainage grillz, cafes every other block, bars inbetween, restaurants on the first floors of every 3rd blocks, oh and very small blocks - maybe every 150' - can't be walking too far between drinks that would be unreasonable.
Oh and an amazing set of apartments with fantastic sea views with brise soleil to block the western sun
The suggestion of getting local vendors, not chains, to run retail/dining establishments is huge. That way the places hopefully have a personality that reflects someone who would actually want to live there, not a "marketing demographic" defined by a committee living in some random far flung city.
The use of vernacular building techniques - using brise soleil, overhanging porches, etc. - certainly can add to "authenticity", but there is a risk of it becoming too Disney-like if it's used as decoration. In other words, if the original climatic response is used as a "style", it risks looking too applied and thus not authentic.
Does this mean a generic building code that requires, for example, overhangs over the sidewalk, but doesn't stipulate material, structure, etc.? I don't know.
And...is there a way to incorporate some age? Can those ruins be made into a piece that, perhaps, interrupts the perfect grid, to resonate throughout the plan in some way that causes interesting block shapes every now and then?
It's hard to mandate "authenticity", but I do think that's a key component.
your comment on using local vendors reminds me of Austin. i was down there last fall and my aunt told me how their slogan is to "keep austin weird". meaning that every little vendor/restaurant downtown is family owned/operated. no chain stores are allowed in the city limits. if you want a big mac, you have to go to the outside of town.
i really appreciate a town like that. it gives it a real sense of community support and strength.
oooh... i like elbell's idea of the ruins interrupting the city grid and creating weird shaped blocks a la the flatiron building...
another way to attempt to build "authenticity" might be to somehow prevent entire blocks from being controlled by a single developer or architect... of course this would make it more difficult for developers to make their numbers work... but it might help create the fine grained development pattern that makes good cities vibrant... i remember rob wellington quigley talking about a project in the little italy neighborhood of san diego where he and a few other architects, including jonathan segal took one city block and broke it up into maybe 6 different parcels... then each architect/developer team designed a building for their parcel... this created a more fine grained city fabric similar to the historic pattern, rather than the superblock pattern that is so prevalent these days...
Ahhhh, excellent tk. Private beaches are wrong and evil. In North Myrtle Beach, where my parents have a condo, open beach access paths exist at every block, with free public parking at most of them. Now the surface parking may not be a great idea in broader terms, but the ease of access to the beach is key, and wonderful.
i also get freaked out by peeps driving on the sand- even the life guards. few years back, some LA county guards killed a woman who was laying on a sand dune that they drove over from the other side- they never saw her... then there is the oceano dunes/pismo redneck/frat boy factor of allowing motorized cavemen onto the sand.
push carts with coconuts and rum are always welcome.
architechnophilia: could we have a google earth link and some more reference on the old irish industrial settlement ruins?
also, how/why was the previous town destroyed? are the people from that town relocating [living somewhere else now]? is this planned as a mainly touristic town with a shifting population? if so, do you have tourists all year round [guess so due to location] or are there high and low tourist tides?
the previous town centre was destroyed by a massive volcano. Most of the residents moved to the uk, a small number remained on island populating the northern sections.
The town is planned as the central district for business, government, etc. The tourist population is small, and is mostly a winter snow bird community (who own property on island)
treekiller - I only wish it were so romantic as a pig on a spick, but its usually fried chicken and temptations of goat water <- national soup? The national dish is mountain chicken...i think they should release a thousand of them into the streets and let the children chase them at the opening.
Wonder K what do you think of that? Answer whenever you arrive
note of humor: thought the title to this was "New City Shit List"
There are many things in a City that are just that.......Motorcycles
raising down the streets at 4:00 am.....waking millions of people.....
parking tickets and towed cars.... missing the last subway....and having to walk home in the rain with out an umbrella.....
protection and design within natural topography.
(We have a 30 acre site on the boards that USED to have hills. The civil engineer made sure to take care of those, much to my dismay...)
New City Wishlist
What makes an ideal city? To continue the question posted by architechnophilia here, add your 2 cents for what makes a city work or what your ideal city would have.
i'll start by re-posting some previous comments from thread central:
architphil
Total Entries: 32
Total Comments: 758
08/09/07 5:52
definitely start a new city wishlist thread! it would be fun, and probably helpful for both 'techno and 'killer...
i'll start...
sustainable golf course designed by treekiller...
free bikeshare program like they have in copenhagen...
mass transit system of some sort (not sure what would work on the islands)...
green power grid (wind farm, solar, tidal, etc)...
good mix of market rate, attainable, and affordable housing (without segregation)...
good public spaces...
and for LB... grocery stores within walking distance of all neighborhoods...
liberty bell
Total Entries: 18
Total Comments: 5676
08/09/07 5:54
Sidewalks!!! Lots of sidewalks!!!! And traffic calming! Bike lanes integrated into the car patterns! Stop signs at every intersection! And street trees!
And all of this wrapping around modern, climate-appropriate, low-impact well-designed architecture.
Good luck techno! Get it right and all of TC will relocate to live in your new town vision! You can name it "Architechnotopia."
treekiller
Total Entries: 95
Total Comments: 2580
08/09/07 7:08
complete streets with wildlife crossings, pervious paving, mandatory greenroofs, rainwater capture.
you don't need no stinkin' golf course...
Strawbeary
Total Entries: 93
Total Comments: 2559
08/09/07 7:12
mmm pervious paving. yummy.
[i should add vado was the actual proponent of this thread]
and i'll add:
towncenters with mixed use surrounded by mixed density neighborhoods
a continuous grid
a flexible, diverse and green public transportation system [including long, medium and short distance rides]
bike lanes!
other relevant threads that i hadn't realized already existed:
the downside of diversity in american neighborhoods
spreading like a virus
Designated smoking areas for responsible adults to dicuss theissues of the day while being mildly stimulated
a brewery. every good town needs a local brewery.
good coffee delivered as a utility.
I'm a BIG goof and just spent the last 10 minutes setting up this very same thread
In the next few days I start work with a new development corporation and one of the tasks will be the design of a new masterplan for the new town.
Background :: previous town destroyed. A new 100 acre site was found, coastal, with port facilities, hilly terrain. Virgin site minus the beach shacks for dining & diving.
What would you put there?
Great idea, 'techno and aml. I'll have to come back to this.
mangroves and a boardwalk
lots of street trees (cause its hot in the tropics)
plenty of rum (coconuts optional)
authenticity
no corporate chain stores/restaurants
spicy food
economical, social, and cultural diversity
beach bar that serves mojitos 24h a day
'authenticity' - that's a good one, tk, I've been thinking about that one a lot lately - what means 'authenticity'?
monkeys
and elephante buses
revenue generators: to be found at city hall...
parking ticket payment window
library overdue fine window
city coconut consumption tax window
rum selling permit window
grass skirt permit window
spicy food permit window
bicycle license fee window
frisbee catching dog license
because these things don't pay for themselves...
at least authenticit is free
cities inspired by film:
your choice:
city a: truman showville.
city b: bladerunnerburg.
'techno... you may want to read an article that i saw in a recent harvard design magazine... i don't have it here in my office with my, but i'm pretty sure that it was in the fall 2006/winter 2007 issue called "Urban Design Now"... if not it was in the spring/summer 2005 issue called "Urban Planning Now"... i think that the author was Matthew Kiefer... it described how some developers have been able to create "authenticity" by creating leasing conditions that allow non-chain mom & pop type retailers and restaurants to thrive... it is always so difficult to create the conditions for the type of urban environment that we all (or most of us at least) love and Kiefer was able to show how a few enlightened developers have been able to do it...
we "designed" a new city in a grad studio i had back in the late 80's. it was supposed to be set in the "future" year 2020. we had many utopian solutions, but as a design it sucked pretty hard. except mine of course, which only sucked partially.
actually i just looked at the table of contents on the above linked page again...
i think that the article that i'm talking about is in the Urban Design Now issue... is authored by Tim Love... and titled "Urban Design After Battery Park City Opportunities for Variety and Vitality in Large-Scale Urban Real Estate Development"
vado
city coconut consumption tax window
rum selling permit window
grass skirt permit window
these could be combined into coconut rum drinking in a grass skirt permit window - best to pay for what you want eh?
vado, choice c should be a film inspired by architecture: playtime [tativille]
but i would live in bladerunnerburg [although not a burg!]
high density
mixed use
cool transportation devices
but would nix the monumentality of the bad guy's central [that huge piramid, although there's something cool about it but it doesn't work urban wise].
mom and pop stores: the chinese noodles guy, the asian scientist that does the eyes, and arguably also the strip club.
and also an ingredient that has not been discussed much yet but is difficult in architechnophilia's case [NEW city], which would be aldo rossi's urban artifacts- buildings that remain and evolve over time
[in blade runner this could be sebastian's house]
Ah there is about 1/2 acre of ruins on the site...an old Irish industrial settlement
free wireless - definately would be a plus
I picture something aesthetically similar to south beach, coconuts trees every other 20', clay tile pavement, brass drainage grillz, cafes every other block, bars inbetween, restaurants on the first floors of every 3rd blocks, oh and very small blocks - maybe every 150' - can't be walking too far between drinks that would be unreasonable.
Oh and an amazing set of apartments with fantastic sea views with brise soleil to block the western sun
conan o'brien
techno you should post a map. oh and i forgot d. alphaville of course.
: that is a good question.
The suggestion of getting local vendors, not chains, to run retail/dining establishments is huge. That way the places hopefully have a personality that reflects someone who would actually want to live there, not a "marketing demographic" defined by a committee living in some random far flung city.
The use of vernacular building techniques - using brise soleil, overhanging porches, etc. - certainly can add to "authenticity", but there is a risk of it becoming too Disney-like if it's used as decoration. In other words, if the original climatic response is used as a "style", it risks looking too applied and thus not authentic.
Does this mean a generic building code that requires, for example, overhangs over the sidewalk, but doesn't stipulate material, structure, etc.? I don't know.
And...is there a way to incorporate some age? Can those ruins be made into a piece that, perhaps, interrupts the perfect grid, to resonate throughout the plan in some way that causes interesting block shapes every now and then?
It's hard to mandate "authenticity", but I do think that's a key component.
Hmmm.......
lb,
your comment on using local vendors reminds me of Austin. i was down there last fall and my aunt told me how their slogan is to "keep austin weird". meaning that every little vendor/restaurant downtown is family owned/operated. no chain stores are allowed in the city limits. if you want a big mac, you have to go to the outside of town.
i really appreciate a town like that. it gives it a real sense of community support and strength.
I remember those "Keep Austin Weird" bumper stickers from when I was working on a project there!
And, Austin is the state capitol, which makes its efforts to stay local seem even more amazing, to me. Austin is a fun town.
oooh... i like elbell's idea of the ruins interrupting the city grid and creating weird shaped blocks a la the flatiron building...
another way to attempt to build "authenticity" might be to somehow prevent entire blocks from being controlled by a single developer or architect... of course this would make it more difficult for developers to make their numbers work... but it might help create the fine grained development pattern that makes good cities vibrant... i remember rob wellington quigley talking about a project in the little italy neighborhood of san diego where he and a few other architects, including jonathan segal took one city block and broke it up into maybe 6 different parcels... then each architect/developer team designed a building for their parcel... this created a more fine grained city fabric similar to the historic pattern, rather than the superblock pattern that is so prevalent these days...
Excellent point, architphil, re: creating a smaller-scaled, fine-grained development size.
beach huts rule!
they are the perfect fine grain...
ps- don't allow 'private' beaches
Ahhhh, excellent tk. Private beaches are wrong and evil. In North Myrtle Beach, where my parents have a condo, open beach access paths exist at every block, with free public parking at most of them. Now the surface parking may not be a great idea in broader terms, but the ease of access to the beach is key, and wonderful.
i also get freaked out by peeps driving on the sand- even the life guards. few years back, some LA county guards killed a woman who was laying on a sand dune that they drove over from the other side- they never saw her... then there is the oceano dunes/pismo redneck/frat boy factor of allowing motorized cavemen onto the sand.
push carts with coconuts and rum are always welcome.
so are boats laying in the sand...
architechnophilia: could we have a google earth link and some more reference on the old irish industrial settlement ruins?
also, how/why was the previous town destroyed? are the people from that town relocating [living somewhere else now]? is this planned as a mainly touristic town with a shifting population? if so, do you have tourists all year round [guess so due to location] or are there high and low tourist tides?
no asphalt. it really burns my bare feet when the sun beats down on it. something softer maybe? and with no sharp points like gravel?
oh, and a good independent record store or i'm not movin'.
the previous town centre was destroyed by a massive volcano. Most of the residents moved to the uk, a small number remained on island populating the northern sections.
The town is planned as the central district for business, government, etc. The tourist population is small, and is mostly a winter snow bird community (who own property on island)
total population: 4,500
pig roasts in the new town square! or what do monsarratians (sp?) eat at feasts and parties?
Steven, how about if the streets were paved with Nanimarquina's Litle Field of Flowers felt rugs?
right - so i just spent 15 mins using the archaic software at the office to do this for you all.
treekiller - I only wish it were so romantic as a pig on a spick, but its usually fried chicken and temptations of goat water <- national soup? The national dish is mountain chicken...i think they should release a thousand of them into the streets and let the children chase them at the opening.
Wonder K what do you think of that? Answer whenever you arrive
cities need more public restrooms...
chicago's got one
note of humor: thought the title to this was "New City Shit List"
There are many things in a City that are just that.......Motorcycles
raising down the streets at 4:00 am.....waking millions of people.....
parking tickets and towed cars.... missing the last subway....and having to walk home in the rain with out an umbrella.....
open air markets/farmer's markets/street vendors
sidewalk cafes
S'beary I'll send you pictures of the market. A hacked version of my sketch design...bah (don't get me started)
protection and design within natural topography.
(We have a 30 acre site on the boards that USED to have hills. The civil engineer made sure to take care of those, much to my dismay...)
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.