To understand the World we are living in currently, we must redefine the "Map of the World," a mental construct that has undergone many reinterpretations since 1492. We could read the World anno 2020 as a collective living space in which all the continents are in reach within 288 minutes, and the maximum travel distance at each continent is 72 minutes. The basic question we should put forward is: How will the city develop within our extremely exciting, complex, but "shrinking" world? We have to radically change our perception of what a city is, finding new definitions for what we call "the city" or "the Metropolis."

New infrastructural devices must be devised that have a great influence on the development of the "Un-Conscious City"—the city we experience in a dreamlike condition, the seemingly un-complex perception of a new reality. The Un-Conscious City should be seen as a model of a new or reconstructed existing Metropolis that works within the "New Map of the World."
                                                                                                                                              __Wiel Arets, 2010

The rebuilding of Tokyo after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 incorporated modern planning concepts. The separation of areas, the belt lines, as well as the green belts, the establishment of parks, all date from this time. Unfortunately, most of these were swallowed up in the rapid urban growth. Views of urban green spots and waterfronts were lost.The horizontality which rooted in Japanese people’s preference of land to sky made the city superflat and extremely dense. Nowedays people from other places in Japan still go to Tokyo for a life where land is already so defficient.

High density arises problems of lacking open space, traffic congestion, pollution etc. which affect living quality. Some other metropolises are experiencing same problems as Tokyo, and still growing fast. However, most metropolises are located near water as showing in the world map, and Waters have sufficient space and energy and good view. so we think it’s possible cities go to the water in the future. Centers of old metropolises are shifted to water. Plenty of small cities start surrounding them. The new metropolis calls itself AMPHIPOLIS.