Weekly Journal 1

1. Componentsand
elements of a city
Ancient Cities Present Cities FutureCities
Social and cultural - pedestrian streets
- small and less developed as
transport such as bicycles,
bullock cart,chariots,
coaches are used
- people gather in homes /
gardens of homes therefore
no parks
- open theatres and arenas
like ancient Greeks
- places of worship –
beautifully ornamented and
built as the link between
the ruler and divinity such
as Angkor Wat
- walls of temples or palaces
are usually sculptured with
historical events, artefacts,
cosmology designs or faces
of deities
- tall towers, covered
galleries, chambers,
porches and courtyards on
different levels linked by
stairways
- the place where people
come together to enjoy the
city and each other such as
grand central parks and
squares to small local
neighbourhood parks
- landscape where the green
part of the city that weaves
throughout in the form of
urban parks, street trees,
plants, flowers and water in
any forms. For example
grand parks such as Central
Park in New York to small
intimate pocket parks
- resemble the origin of its
occupants such Chinatown
in America with its
pagodas and decorated with
lanterns and carvings of
calligraphy
- tall towers are linked by
lifts as well as stairways for
emergency purposes
- bearing in mind the number
of people to accommodate
- the standard and pace at
which the city has to be
developed
- to meet the needs of the
cultural sensitivity (such as
places of worship,
weddings, gatherings, etc.)
of the people intend to live
in this city

2. Economic - no tall buildings /
skyscrapers but
majestically design
buildings
- quick set up stalls
- homes are usually made
with natural resources such
as bamboos, timber or
bricks as they lead an
agricultural lifestyle
- barays are built for
transportation, bathing and
drinking
- local businesses and
entrepreneurship shape the
design of the buildings
such offices, shopping
complexes, factories or
workshops
- buildings shape and
articulate shape by forming
the street walls of a city
- well-designed buildings or
groups of buildings work
together to create a sense of
space such as Petronas
Twin Towers in Kuala
Lumpur
- the different uses of land –
for residential purposes,
commercial purposes and
industrial enterprise will
determine the designs of
the buildings
- the construction of
transportation and
communication system will
be adjusted to space
available
Environment - a lot of bridges and narrow
roads used by chariots /
coaches and pedestrians
- lots of greenery
- designed for civil defence /
military such as British
palaces surrounded by
moats, tunnels in Vietnam
or the barrier on the
boundaries to separate and
protect the country such as
the Great Wall of China
- water supply via water
wheels or dug up wells
- streets are the connections
between spaces and places.
The pattern of the street
networks is part of what
defines a city and what
makes a city unique. Street
range from Grand Avenues
such as Champ-Elyses in
Paris and small, intimate
pedestrian streets
- transport connects the
various parts of cities and
helps shape the cities such
as roads, highways, rails,
bicycle lanes, airports and
pedestrian networks. All
these form the total
- the extent of space that has
to be preserved for various
purposes such as public
spaces,open spaces,
agricultural, recreation
spaces,facilities such as
schools, parks, playgrounds
and shopping complexes
- practices of green
engineering in construction
of buildings and homes

3. - windmills to generate
energy to mill grains
therefore no air pollution
- canals and waterways used
for tranportation
movement system of a city
whether it is friendly or
hostile to pedestrians. The
best cities are the ones that
elevates the experience of
the pedestrians while
minimizing the dominance
of the private automobiles
- underground tubes,
shinkansen or bullet train
rails built to transport
people to work in cities but
they reside in suburban
areas such as in London,
Tokyo or Shanghai
- building structurally built
to withstand to a certain
extent of the natural
disaster such as earthquake
in Japan
- island linked bridges or
expressway such as in
Hong Kong
- canals and waterways used
for tourism purposes