Viridis town report

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Content:
1. Introduction – page 3
2. A Town – page 4-5
3. Investigation & Data Collection: Ancient and old cities/town - page 6-8
4. Investigation & Data Collection: The present towns/cities- page 9-10
5. Investigation & Data Collection: The future and better township – page 11-12
6. The New “X” Town / Or the new name – page 13-20
7. The Conclusion – page 21
8. References list – page 22

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1.Introduction
This is the final project for the Element of Natural and Built Environment. We were
supposed to pretend to be the mayor of “X” Town. A new town has to be planned
because it is facing the problem of it being too crowded. My task in this project is to
propose a new layout of my town is to overcome this problem. I am required to
research the past, present and future cities in order to plan this new town layout.
The objective of the project is to expose the elements of the natural and built
environment in their basic unit, form and function. It will allow for the exploration of
their symbiotic relationship and thus, create an understanding of the importance of
maintaining the balance in such a relationship.

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2.The Town
Definition
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a town is a built-up area with a name, defined
boundaries, and local government that is larger than a village and generally smaller
than a city.
The reason my town is called Viridis is because it means ‘Green’ in latin. This
represents the objective of my town, which is to implement green technology
throughout the area. The population of my town is around 8000 people with the size of
10.44km – 11.54km.
What makes a town?
A town is usually a place with a large community and many buildings, but it is not a
city. For cities, there is more than one way to say what a town is in different countries.
Generally, the difference between towns, villages and cities is the kind of economy
they have. The citizens in towns usually get money from industry, commerce and public
service but uncommonly from agriculture. The population size of a town does not
define whether or not it is a town or a village. For example, India has a big village that
has a larger population than a small town. Besides that, sometimes a place is called a
city because it got the name “city” by law. But, people often claim it is a town because
of its small size. In the Middle Ages, a place became a town because of a charter, which
gave it town privileges. As town privileges, a monarch will grant the town special rights
which included – the right to have a market to form guilds or freedoms to determine
the government of the town.

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What makes a good town?
A good town must have the suitable population, zoning, accessibility, density,
transportation management and services.
1. Population – The population size of a town must not be too large as it may
cause overpopulation which may be hard for the town to handle.
2. Zoning – A town must have an appropriate zoning plan. A bad zoning plan
may affect the suitability for people to live in the area.
3. Accessibility – A good town must have the appropriate transportation
management and good walkability.
4. Density – The density of a town depend on the population. So, a good town
should have a minimum density rate even if the population grows.
5. Services – A good town must provide good services such as transportation,
waste management and clean water.
6. Environmentally friendly – A good town must not contradict but compliment
the environment around it. Implementing green technology is important in
creating a good town.
Future Town
The idea of a future town would be similar as to the idea on creating a future
city. Jane Wakefield, a technology reporter from BBC states that if the cities of the past
were shaped by people, the cities of the future are likely to be shaped by ideas. Some
of these revolve around the idea that smarter equals greener. Carbon-neutral cities full
of electric vehicles and bike-sharing schemes with great air quality will help to keep a
town sustained.

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3.Investigation & Data Collection:
Ancient Cities / towns
Introduction to the History of Ancient Rome
Roman architecture has provided us with magnificent structures. By combining a wide
range of materials, the Romans were able to turn architecture into an art form. The result
was that architecture became an imperial tool to demonstrate to the world that Rome was
culturally superior. Even more significantly, the Roman use of concrete, brick, and arches
twinned with building designs like the amphitheater and basilica would immeasurably
influence architecture all around the world right up to this present day.
Key Roman buildings and architecture
Aqueducts and Bridges
The function of the aqueduct was to transport fresh water to city centers from
sources many kilometres away
Basilicas
The basilica was used as a place for any large gatherings, most common being used
as law courts. They were usually built along one side of the forum.

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Roman Forum
The forum was used as a market place and an area where people came together.
Many buildings were built around it, such as government buildings, temples and
palaces.
Baths
Baths for bathing and relaxing was a common feature in Roman cities. They are huge
bath complexes with a diversity of rooms offering different facilities such as swimming
pools and places to relax and socialize.
Amphitheatres
An amphitheater is an open air venue used for entertainment, performances and
sports. These theatres were built in a semicircle, with tiered seating above a
performance area.

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Centuriation
Centuriation was a method of land measurement
used by the Roman. It is characterised by the regular
layour of a square grid. It may appear in the form of
roads, canals and agricultural plots.
The study of centuriation is very crucial for
reconstructing landscape history in many areas of the
Roman empire. It has been said that this system
inspired Thomas Jefferson to create a grid of
townships for survey purposes.
Elements that can be used for my town
The idea of centuriation shows the importance of having a good grid system in a
town. These are a few benefits of the grid.
1. Walkability – the grid provides a walkable street network.
2. Adaptability – As land uses change constantly, new land use can easily be use
with the existing infrastructure.
3. Economical – Rebuilding the same block is economical.
4. Sustainable – Building the blocks in similar fashion throughout the town is
sustainable.
The buildings in Ancient Rome has easy accessibility and is very suitable for creating
a good town with this idea. Moreover, the buildings in Rome has their own
important function in keeping the city alive and sustainable and I hope to implement
this in my own town.
Also, I will also be able to implement to aqueduct design as an underground railway
system for my town.
Centuriation near Cesena,
Italy – Roman grid system

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Present Towns / township
Copenhagen
Introduction
Copenhagen had caught my attention because of how
they have used their environmentally friendly ideas on
their city. They have been called the World’s greenest
city and they aim to be the world’s first carbon neutral city by 2025.
Significance
Creating a green and sustainable society is one of the key goals for Copenhagen. More than
20 percent of Denmark’s energy already comes from renewable energy and the goal is to
reach 100 percent by 2050. These are a few of examples of the technology they use.
Wind turbines
Copenhagen uses 28 percent of wind power in the
electricity system. Because Copenhagen is a very windy
area, it helps explain why they are so skilled at capturing
the power of the wind.
Green Roofing
Green roofs are a modern and climate friendly solution,
providing citizens with green breathing spaces on the roof
tops. These are a few functions in green roofings.

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 It helps keeps the environment cool. They contribute effectively to urban climate
adaptation.
 Green roofs save energy and prevent carbon emissions.
 It provides a protective shield against the damaging effects of UV rays.
Conclusion
Copenhagen has become an inspiration for other cities to become a more
environmentally friendly city. Copenhagen is setting an example on how we can use
sustainable green energy and modern design concepts to create a sustainable future
for cities without creating a large environmental impact.
I can implement some of Copenhagen’s green technology and design on my town to
create an eco-friendly town while giving the people a high quality of life. The designs
that I can implement are Copenhagen’s green roof policy and wind technology.

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The future of towns and Better Towns
Hexagon Grid
The picture on the right shows a
hexagonal grid neighbourhood unit
designed by urban designer Barry
Parker.
This design was regarded as a
very economically efficient. It had
many open spaces and high
walkability. Children and other
people would not need to worry
about cross roads of cars to get to
school as there’re no cars.
Greenbelt
The large-scale urban farming concept called Greenbelt aims to provide cities with a
way to utilize their own resourcefulness rather than depend on costly imported goods.
The Greenbelt actually surrounds the city, using vertical, space-saving structures to
support aquapronics (fish farming
combined with soil free growing).
Water is led to a hydroponic system
where by-products from the fish are
filtered out by plants as vital

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nutrients. Cleansed water is then recirculated back to the fish and the process
continues. [yankodesign.com]
Conclusion
The hexagonal grid design is a great design that demonstrate how efficient the
hexagon grid is towards creating a town. The Greenbelt design concept is also a great
design in demonstrating the importance and the advantages in creating an eco-friendly
town.
I am able to implement this efficient hexagonal grid into my town as in can help in
sustainability and walkability. The Greenbelt design can also be implemented to help
improve my town to become a much better, greener and cleaner place.

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6.The New “X” Town - Viridis
Introduction
The people in “X” town because of reasons that is too crowded. As the mayor of
Viridis, I will need to propose a new layout for my town. The reason my town is located
with a lake is because the plays an important role in recreation and leisure activities for
my town. My town also sources their seafood supply from the lake as it is a freshwater
lake. The aim of my town is to keep it sustainable by using green technology and
keeping away from the usage of fossil fuels. It is always aimed to give the citizens clean
air and a pollution free environment. It will provide -
 fresh, clean air by implementing green buildings,
 good walkability (no cars) in residential areas,
 Easy mobility for pedestrians to get from one place to another by public
transportation.
 Prevention of having an area that is too dense
 Renewable energy from lake.

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Location of my town
My town is located in Terengganu, beside a highway named Jalan Jabor Al
Muktafi Bilah Shah.

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Residential area
The residential areas are located at the south
part of my town. Both residential areas are far
apart from each other so it will not feel too
dense. I was inspired to follow Barry Parker’s
design with a hexagonal grid. Reasons because
it has many open spaces in each zones.
Each district will contain 11 residential areas, 3
pocket parks and 2 schools.
Not only that, schools are located at the sides of
the areas and there will be no cars. So that it is
entirely safe to walk around without worrying
about cars on the road.
All cars will be parked at an
underground car park beneath each
residential area. Residents can use
the elevator to go up to their houses
easily from the car park.

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Housing Typology
The picture on the right show the
typical house in my residential area.
It contains 4 floors. 2 being which are
for one family. In other words, 2
families can stay in one house.
Each house also has been
implemented green roofing with
solar panels to generate electricity
using solar energy. But most of its
electrical supply will come from the
city generators.
The elevator and emergency
staircases is used for the families
living on the upper levels.
Sketch of a district in the residential
area

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Commercial area
This is located at the center of the town and the
north-west side. In the center of the town, is
where a large plaza and the government buildings
are located. Shops lots are built all around this
area and the plaza.
On the north-west side of the town, its where
part of the lake is located. This commercial area is
built around this part of the lake. This is where a
hotel built on the side of the lake is located. This
is to improve the town on tourism so that visitors
can enjoy their time in this town. People can also
enjoy leisure activities such as fishing or kayaking
on the lake. They can also enjoy the mountain view from there.
Agricultural area
Perspective of a part in residential area.

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This area is located at the north and the north-east side of the town. This is where
most of the green harvesting is implementing. A sunflower farm is located so that
sunflower oil can be harvest. Sunflower oil can be used to replace diesel oil and fossil
fuels after being processed. A wind farm is located on the mountains where wind
impact is high and a dam located on the lake at the bottom of the mountain. This is
to generate electrictiy through renewable energy.
Green belt park
This area is located at the center of the town, around the town center. The function
of this area is to prevent more development and implement more greenery in the
town. Citizens can enjoy the parks and play sports, have picnics and do other leisure
activities.
Transportation
An underground railway system is implemented connecting to all areas in my town.
The commercial area in the center of my town being the center of the connection.
Besides that, bus and bicycle lanes are
implemented on the roads in my town. Like
Drawing of the underground train
station

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Copenhagen, people are encouraged to use more public transportation and bicycles
as a form of transport in the town.
Sunflower oil will be used for petroleum based cars and electric cars are used.

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Conclusion
Viridis is a town that encourages healthy living is every aspect. The layout and every
component of the town will function to enable quality living for the people.

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Viridis Town Master Plan

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7.Conclusion
From this assignment I have learnt many things. One being that it takes a long
thought process to think about planning a town. There are many details in planning a
town, each just as important as the other. The smallest mistake in these details will
very much affect the entire town and will result in disastrous consequences.
I believe that people should learn to appreciate the cities that we live in.
Many people work together to painstakingly plan a comfortable and suitable
environment for the people to live in.

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8.Reference Links
Sustainable Cities Collective [online] Retrieved from:
http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/theamericangrid/34437/fallacies-against-grid
[Accessed: 14 July 2014]
Extension.com [online] Retrieved from:
http://www.extension.org/pages/29605/sunflowers-for-biofuel-
production#.U8L1zvmSwpl [Accessed: 30 June 2014]
E. Ben- Joseph & D. Gordon. Journal of Urban Design, vol 5, no. 3, 237-265,2000
Retrieved from: http://web.mit.edu/ebj/www/Hexagonal.pdf
BBC News Technology [online] Retrieved from:
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-20770518 [Accessed: 14 July 2014]
Wikipedia [online] Retrieved From: http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town
Wikipedia [online] Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town [Accessed: 14
July 2014]
Ancient History Architecture [online] Retrieved from:
http://www.ancient.eu.com/Roman_Architecture/ [Accessed: 14 July 2014]
City of Copenhagen [online] Retrived from:
http://subsite.kk.dk/sitecore/content/subsites/cityofcopenhagen/subsitefrontpage/l
ivingincopenhagen/climateandenvironment/climateadaptation/greenroofs.aspx
Denmark, The official website of Denmark [online] Retrieved from:
http://denmark.dk/en/green-living/copenhagen/ [Accessed: 14 July 2014]
Yanko Design, Form Beyond Function [online] Retrieved from:
http://www.yankodesign.com/2013/03/01/a-green-solution-for-city-self-sufficiency/

Viridis town report

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