ENBE Final Project

1. BETTER LIVABLE TOWN
MIDORI
緑
CALEB SOH
ER WEN
0320292
FNBE AUG 2014

3. Content
1. Introduction
2. Town: A Definition
3. Ancient town: Machu
Picchu
4. Modern town: Bogota
5. The Future of Towns
6. The Midori Town
7. Conclusion
8. Reference List

4. Introduction
A town. What is it? When thrown this question by our
lecturers, we were surprisingly lost for words. A majority of
us knew that a town would be bigger than a village but
smaller than a city, but beyond that, we knew nil.
So over the course of this project, aptly named Built
Environment:
Better Town of the Future, we were tasked to explore and
determine the variables behind a good town from three
angles. The first being an ancient town, followed by a
modern town and then a future town.
By doing so, we could also take note of the many
shortcomings of these towns and come up with adequate
solutions which would be in turn implemented in the
proposal for our own town plan that of which is the final
phase of this report.

5. Town
The definition of a town varies from country to country. By
law, a town is defined as “a civil and political subdivision of
a state, which varies in size and significance according to
location but is ordinarily a division of a county”.
But for the purpose of this project, we have decided on the
following criteria..
I. A large scale development with a targeted
population of 7000- 30,000
II. At least 75% of the working male population
are engaged in non-agricultural pursuits
III. A population density of at least 400 people /
km2
The creation of towns is synonymous with the rise of the
early civilizations, one of the earliest being the Sumerians
who built the town Mesopotamia in about 5000BC. While
most of the features of civilizations began to develop
thousands of years ago during the Stone Age. But it took a
long time for people to bring all these ideas together to build
towns on a large scale.
The concept of communal residency probably started in the
Stone Age when band of hunters would set up temporary
common camps which to return to after a hunting trip. This
common camps gradually gave way to permanent villages
when the people learnt to domesticate wild animals and
started to farm their own crops. The best example is
probably Jericho which was built in about 9000BC in the
Middle East.

7. What Makes a Good
Town?
After going through the multitude of information available to
us, it is safe to say that a good town is one which is
developed with an eye on the wellbeing natural environment
and another on the welfare of the residents without
compromising one for the other.
In terms of the Natural Environment, here are some aspects..
I. Sustainable construction using environmental friendly
materials and methods
II. High walkability to reduce carbon emissions through
daily commute
III. Implementation of laws that encourages the
preservation of environment
In terms of Resident Welfare, here are some aspects..
I. Safe, low crime rate
II. Free from natural disasters
III. Convenient with all the basic needs met, i.e. clean
water source, electricity, shelter, food
IV. Availability of basic governmentalservices, i.e.
education, medication, legislation
V. Availability of recreational facilities, be it natural or
man-made
VI. Preservation of heritage and culture
VII. Fair and just judiciary system
VIII. Sufficient job opportunities and strong socio-economy

8. ANCIENT TOWN - MACHU
PICCHU
a) Location
- Cusco Region, Peru
- 2430 Metres above sea level
b) History
- Built around 1450, at the height of the Inca
Empire
- Built over two periods..
I. Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (1438-1471)
II. Tupac Inca Yupanqui (1472-93)
- Abandoned just over 100 years later in 1572
- This was mostly due to the outbreak of
smallpox, which was brought over by the
Spanish Army when they invaded Peru
c) Details
- Machu Picchu can be divided two ways..
I. An urban sector and agricultural sector
II. The upper town and the lower town
- Upper Town consists of..
I. The Religious District - Three
archaeological treasures dedicated to
Inti, their sun god and greatest deity,
e.g. the Inti Watana, the Temple of the
Sun and the Room of the Three
Windows
II. The Royal District - A group of houses
located in rows over a slope, used by
the nobility, characterized by the

9. reddish walls and trapezoid-shaped
rooms

10. - Lower Town consists of..
I. The Popular District - Also known as the
Residential District, is the place where
the lower-class people lived. It also
includes storage buildings and simple
houses
- The town layout is adapted to the natural form
of the mountains
- About 200 buildings arranged on wide parallel
terraces around a vast central square that is
oriented east-west
- Compounds are long and narrow to exploit the
terrain
- Extensive terraces were used for agriculture
while sophisticated channelling systems
provided irrigation for the fields
- Stone stairways set in the wall provides access
to the different levels across the site
- Geography..
I. 2430 metres above sea level
II. On a mountain ridge, with cliffs around
it dropping a staggering 450 metres
III. On the bow of the Urubamba River,
which means it is surrounded by the
river from three sides
IV. In between two mountains, Machu
Picchu and Huayna Picchu
V. In between two fault lines

11. MODERN CITY – BOGOTA
c) Location
- Distrito Capital, Colombia
- 2640 Metres above sea level
d) History
- First started off in 1533 as a permanent
settlement for the invading Spaniards
- Over the period of the next 500 years, Bogota
undergoes many political reforms as well as
the 1000 day war from 1899-1902.
- After the war, political reforms lead to the
rethink of urban planning and residents’
welfare.
a) Details
a. Urban Layout and Nomenclature
Bogotá has 20 localities, or
districts, forming an extensive
network of neighbourhoods. Areas
of higher economic status tend to
be located to the north and
northeast, close to the foothills of
the Eastern Cordillera. Poorer
neighbourhoods are located to the
south and southeast, many of
them squatter areas. The middle
classes usually inhabit the central,
western and north-western sections
of the city.

12. b. Transport
Buses remain the main means of
mass transit. There are two bus
systems: the traditional system and
the TransMilenio. The traditional
system runs a variety of bus types,
operated by several companies on
normal streets and
avenues: Bus (large
buses),Buseta(medium size buses)
and Colectivo(vans or minivans).
The bigger buses were divided into
two categories: Ejecutivo, which
was originally to be a deluxe service
and was not to carry standing
passengers, and corrienteor normal
service. Since May 2008, all buses
run as corrienteservices. Bogotá is a
hub for domestic and international
bus routes. The Bogotá terminal
serves routes to most cities and
towns in Colombia and is the largest
in the country. There is
international service to Ecuador,
Perú and Venezuela.

14. The Future of Towns
Having gone through the past and present examples of towns,
what then can we say about the future of towns and the
foreseeable changes that they would undergo?
To answer that, let us first take a look at the problems that
many towns face nowadays..
I. Over-reliant on external sources for basic resources,
i.e. food, energy and water
II. Not self-sufficient
III. Resources dependant on a complex transport
infrastructure, fuel & modern fertilizer
The issue is so serious to the extent that for every calorie we
eat, the consumption of ten calories of oil is required. In a
few decades, when the global oil reserves run low, this
reliance on petroleum will not be sustainable.
This issue will inevitably shape the future of town planning
and thus these are a few things that we believe we would
increasingly see in future towns..
I. Vertical Farms – basically multi-tiered glass
skyscrapers which frees the farming industry from the
restriction of land size. This enables farms to migrate
from the countryside into the downtown areas.
+ Allows city-dwellers to harvest crops all year
round in areas without available land
+ Reduce energy consumed in transporting the
food from the source to the user
+ Lower crop lost associated with shipping and
storing
+ It minimizes the wastage as water as it recycles
its own water
+ Due to the crops being in sealed environments,
the amount of pesticides use can be reduced
+ One tower can potentially feed 50,000 people
II. Laws – which requires all large buildings to have some
space dedicated to food production could be a
common place in future town legislations
III. Self-sufficient energy production – solar cells and roof
top wind turbine would increasingly find its place in
building design as urban planners move towards
having buildings that can survive off-the-grid. Piezo-

15. electric paving slabs and hydraulic plates at road
surfaces would be the other technologies used.
IV. Increased efficiency in water management – towns
would be designed with a system to recapture and
recycle water in a bid to reduce water wastage
V. Increasing walkability – towns would be safer, more
convenient, attractive and connected to promote
walking as the mode of transport as opposed to
driving. Key sites would be situated within a 400
metre radius of any residential area as that is the
average distance a person can walk in five minutes.

16. Midori Town
In response to the research done, the Midori town plan
incorporates all the strengths and elements of a future
development.
Type: Floating Town ( air )
Area: 17.82 km2
Population: Approx. 150,000 people
Main Economy: Eco-tourism, education hub, science &
technology hub
The name Midori derives from the Japanese word for green
which signifies the designer’s intent in having this town
showcase the possibilities of having a town which is
completely clean and environmental friendly.
Hence, the Midori Town is basically a proof-of-concept to
show that it is feasible for a town to be completely off-the-
grid and self-sustaining in terms of energy production, as
well as food and water supply. Being an independent floating
city in the air, it helps to proof this concept in a very striking
manner.

17. Being a model town, the design of Midori Town has
incorporated many new technologies and concepts which can
in turn be replicated in other future towns or cities.
I. Smart zonal arrangement
The key zones which have a heavier traffic flow in
between one another are place close to one another
to reduce the amount energy required to move to
and fro these places.

18. II. Light rail transit lines
Are placed in the centre of the town to cater to the
needs of the residence traveling to and fro from home
and work. This central and convenient placement
encourages residences to use it as their main mode of
transport. The LRT line also serves as a means of
transporting the produce from the two vertical farms
to the commercial and residential areas.

19. III. The 400 in 5 concept
The placement of key buildings in the individual zones
were made after taking into account the fact that the
average person can cover the distance of 400 metres
in 5 minutes. This encourages residence to use
walking as the main mode of transport when running
errands.

20. IV. Observatory
Being high up the sky, far away from the bright lights
of other major cities enables the Midori Town to be
the perfect spot for astronomers to build a telescope
and observe and study the inter-stellar bodies. This
also opens up the town to be a R&D hub for space
exploration as well as a place for eco-tourism.

21. V. Vertical farming
Enables the Midori Town to be self-sufficient on the
food front. Using hydroponics instead of traditional
soil, the crops can be better taken care of and thus
productivity is increased. One tower has the
capability to cater for 50,000 people, so the four
towers that the town has should supply enough food
comfortably for the population of 150,000 with
surplus.

22. VI. Wind farm
Makes good use of the windy conditions always
experienced by the town high up in the sky. The
constant wind flow across the floating town enables
the wind farm to be a consistent and reliable source
of energy. Subsequently, the whole towns’ energy
needs are met by the wind farm.

23. Conclusion
Over the course of this assignment, it is a good thing to see
that mankind has made a progressive improvements in terms
of our towns and communities. From the ancient Machu
Picchu to the current towns like Bogota, mankind has always
learnt from their past experiences.
Now, at the turn of the 21st
Century, mankind will strive to
move to the next step of urban development and that is
green environments. As in the past, on top of developing new
ground-breaking technologies, we should strive to look back
into our past to seek for inspiration and lessons to carry
forward.

24. Reference
 http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sconcerns/
densurb/densurbmethods.htm
 http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Town
 http://www.altitude.org/high_altitude.php
 http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/gr
een-science/five-amazing-green-cities.htm#page=4
 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-
2622516/Forget-high-speed-rail-future-train-travel-
SUPER-MAGLEV-says-China-one-day-1-800MPH.html
 http://www.idealcity.org.au/town_planning-5-
modern_metropolis.html
 http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-
results/paper2/data_files/India2/1.%20Data%20Highli
ght.pdf