Enbe report

ENBE | Final Project | Part A – Report | The Future City Representation
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Tan Yincy | 0318355 | Group I | FNBE Feb 2014 | Taylor’s University
1 | Introduction
For our Elements of Natural and Built Environment ( ENBE ) final assignment, we, students
were told to investigate about the ancient/ old, present and future cities and use the information
collected to propose a future city. The future city should focus on the needs of the people, the
facilities, infrastructures, and how it will sustain itself in the future.
There was a case scenario, where we are the mayor of a dying city, ‘The X City’. The people of
‘X City’ require a new city because it is no longer livable. As the mayor, we are instructed to
propose a new city plan that could make the city regain its glory.
We could enhance the current city or choose between a few new city setting options given,
which were an underground city, an underwater city, a floating on water city, a city in the sky
( or skyscraper city ) and a city on land next to a river or sea.

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2 |The City
CITY [ cit·y Pronunciation · sĭt′ē ]
n. pl. cit·ies
1. A center of population, commerce, and culture; a town of significant size and importance.
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) any large town or populous place.
3. A large or important town.
(The Free Dictionary, 2009)
A city is a large and densely populated urban area which may include several independent
administrative districts. It generally has complex systems for residential area, land usages,
sanitation, waste management and transportation.
Brief History
The building of cities has a complex and long history in human evolution. Although city
planning as an organized profession has existed for less than a century, various degrees of
forethought and conscious design were displayed in all cities’ layout and functioning.
Early humans led a nomadic existence, relying on hunting and gathering for sustenance. Between
8,000 and 10,000 years ago, following the human evolution, systematic cultivation of plants and
the domestication of animals appeared allowing more permanent settlements. The requirements

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for the "urban revolution" were met during the fourth millennium B.C. ( the production of a
surplus of storable food, a system of writing, a more complex social organization, and
technological advances such as the plough, potter's wheel, loom, and metallurgy )
Cities serve as centers of government, storage, trade, manufacture, and protection. The
agricultural surplus from the surrounding countryside is processed and distributed in cities.
Throughout history, cities have been founded at the intersections of transportation routes, or at
points where goods must shift from one mode of transportation to another, as at river and ocean
ports.
Cities, with their concentration of talent, mixture of peoples, and economic surplus, have
provided a fertile ground for the evolution of human culture: the arts, scientific research, and
technical innovation. They serve as centers of communication, where new ideas and information
are spread to the surrounding territory and to foreign lands.
What makes a city?
A city must consist and provides basic services/ infrastructures to the people. There should be
sufficient food supplies, water, housing area, open spaces and efficient electricity for the people.
Proper roadways and public transportation such as city buses, cabs, etc should also be available
to all of the people.

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What makes a GREAT city?
However, to make a city great, basic services and infrastructures would definitely be inadequate.
An ideal great city should be sustainable and eco-friendly, as in reducing the carbon footprint the
city produces. A great city should also be easy to maintain in the long run. Besides that, there
should be a balance of politics, economy, social and a harmony and peaceful environment for the
people to live in. Health, security and safety should be accessible to all.
Other requirements to build a great city are:
· Providing great opportunities for the people ( education & business )
· More green open spaces ( public spaces )
· There’re various renewable energy solutions as new power sources.
· Practices the 3 R’s ( Reduce, reuse & recycle )
What is a future city?
Everybody’s future city is different in mind. It depends on what that person prefers the city to be.
Is it an underwater city? An underground city? A city full with robots and machines? Or perhaps
a city in the sky?

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There isn’t any definite statement of what a future city is. Most people used visualize future
cities with flying cars and robots, like what they saw in cartoons when they are young.
However as our natural resources are depleted, people now visualize future cities to be
completely eco-friendly, cities powered based on renewable resources, uses of wind, wave, solar
energy, fog collectors, etc. The most preferred way of transportation is cycling and thus, future
cities focus a lot on walkability and connectivity.
Moreover, if you are wondering about how long would it take for a future city to be actualized;
the future is actually not that far away from us. The changes have already begun in many
countries. One of them is Copenhagen in Denmark. It is already slowly transforming into a
future green city, aiming to be the world’s first carbon neutral capital by 2025.

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3 | Investigation & Data Collection:
Ancient and old cities: VENICE
Venice is a city in Italy, best known for the
many waterways that crisscross through it.
It is built on an archipelago of 117 islands
formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon,
connected by 409 bridges. The name
Venice is derived from the ancient Veneti
people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC. The city historically was known as the
capital of the Republic of Venice. Venice has also been known as the "La Dominante",
"Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges",
"The Floating City", and "City of Canals".
When one talked about Venice, besides of its romantic reputation, one would definitely mention
how great Venice was during the Middle Ages and Renaissance period.
The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power that time and a staging area for the

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Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important center of commerce (especially
silk, grain, and spice) and art in the 13th century to the end of the 17th century.
This made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history. It is also known for its several
important artistic movements. Venice has also played an important role in the history of
symphonic and operatic music.
As Venice is a very wealthy city, most of the buildings in Venice are baroque style to show
power, wealth and skill. Venice’s urban planning also clearly separates the public spaces and
private spaces. The roads radiates from the heart of the city to define it. The center of the city is
normally public and commercial. Venetian places their sacred space and palace (important
government building) there.

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Present zoning of Venice
The historical city is divided into six areas or "sestiere" (while the
whole comune (municipality) is divided into 6 boroughs of which
one is composed of all 6 sestiere). These are Cannaregio, San Polo,
Dorsoduro (including the Giudecca and Isola Sacca Fisola), Santa
Croce, San Marco (including San Giorgio Maggiore) and Castello
(including San Pietro di Castello and Sant'Elena). Each sestiere
was administered by a procurator and his staff. Nowadays each
sestiere is a statistic and historical area without any degree of
autonomy.
Sestieri of Venice:
Cannaregio
Castello
Dorsoduro
San Marco
San Polo
Santa Croce

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These districts consist of parishes – initially seventy in 1033, but reduced under Napoleon and
now numbering just thirty-eight. These parishes predate the sestieri, which were created in about
1170.
After researching about Venice, I decided to incorporate the zoning method of Venice by district
into my city. It would definitely be easier to organize and differentiate all of the spaces available.
It would also be more suitable in my opinion to build all of the important buildings in the heart
of the city, to get an overall view and to govern my people.
The Present City: MELBOURNE
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most
populous city in Australia. It is located on the large natural bay of Port Phillip, with its City
Centre situated at the
northernmost point of the
bay – near to the estuary
of the Yarra River.

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Melbourne grew from a tiny speculative outpost in the 1850s into a world city within 30 years
and is the youngest of all of the ‘world cities’. Much of this phenomenal growth was due to the
Victorian gold rush in the 1850s. Melbourne was transformed into one of the world's largest and
wealthiest cities because of the gold rush.
The name "Melbourne" refers to an urban agglomeration area (and census
statistical division) spanning 9,900 km2 (3,857.2 sq. mi) that comprises the greater. It is a
leading financial center in Australia, as well as the Asia-Pacific region, and has been ranked the
world's most livable city since 2011. In 2013 the EIU ranked Melbourne the fourth most
expensive city in the world, tying with Oslo, Norway.
Melbourne is rated highly in the areas of education, entertainment, healthcare, research and
development, tourism and sports.

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Besides that, Melbourne has been working for more than fifteen years to become one of the
world’s most sustainable city ( eco-city ) and aims to be a carbon neutral city by the year 2020.
With a clear understanding of what their aim is and what they want to achieve in the future, the
government of Melbourne has already came up and funded a variety of projects.
Hundreds of city businesses are involved in developing new technologies for wastewater
treatment, recycling and renewable energy. Melbourne also has emerging strength in office
retrofit and design and in environmental consultancy services. New technologies such as trialing
cool roofs, green roofs, etc are introduced. Bicycles lanes are build and also encourages the
people of Melbourne to walk or use the public transportation to travel.
With a blend of green hinterland and seascape, a multicultural community, comfortable standard
of living, quality education and healthcare, Melbourne is definitely a great city to live in.
After researching about Melbourne, I had decided to incorporate the green roofs and trialing cool
roofs technology into the buildings of my city. I would also practices and encourage my people
to use green transportation.

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The Future City: COPENHAGEN
Copenhagen is the capital and most
populous city of Denmark, with an
urban population of 1,246,611 and a
metropolitan population of 1,969,941.
It is situated on the eastern coast of
Zealand, 42 km (26 mi) northwest of
Malmö, Sweden and 164 km (102 mi)

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Northeast of Odense. The city stretches across parts of the island of Amager and also contains
the enclave of Frederiksberg, a municipality in its own right.
Copenhagen is originally a Viking fishing village founded in the 10th century. It became the
capital of Denmark in the early 15th century. After various problems and disasters after the 19th
century, rebuilding during the Danish Golden Age brought a neoclassical look to Copenhagen's
architecture. Later, following the Second World War, the Finger Plan fostered the creation of
housing and businesses along the five urban railway routes stretching out from the city centre.
Copenhagen has placed public-private
partnerships at the core of its approach
to eco-innovation and sustainable
employment. The city works with
various individuals and organizations in
dedicated forums to develop and
implement green growth.
As mentioned earlier, Copenhagen has the ambition of becoming the first carbon neutral capital
by 2025. This goal is supported by a municipal of strategic climate action plan. Copenhagen is
close to squaring that circle with the available sustainable city solutions.

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Studies show that Copenhagen's growth in the green sector has increased turnover by 55% over
the course of five years.
According to the ‘City of Copenhagen’ article, these are some examples of sustainable city
solutions in Copenhagen;
Increased mobility through integrated transport and cycling solutions has reduced
congestion significantly and improved citizens' health.
Cleaning the harbor has led to attractive urban areas with better quality of life, improved
local business life, created jobs and generated revenue in the area.
Landfill from waste has been reduced to 1, 8% of total while heating 98% of the city
through district heating.
These are a few of the benefits achieved through sustainable city solutions.
In Copenhagen, urban green solutions are already being realized and used by everyday people.
These solutions have had significant effects on reducing CO2 emission and increasing the city's
livability.
After investigating and collecting data from various sources, I had decided to apply the wind
turbines technology and seawater cooling system to my city.

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6 |The X City
It was the year 2023; the citizens of X city were all living well and luxurious without caring
about the natural environment. They use natural resources like it was unlimited. The X city is
very much polluted but nobody really cares. X city is famous for its architectural structures
development, thus, attracting many tourists although the city is greatly polluted due to the
uniqueness of the structures.

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Until one day, scientists obtained data that the sea level is raising rapidly and the sea water is
starting to get really hot, it’s just a matter of time until the whole city is submerged with hot
boiling water heated from the earth’s core.
The mayor fled after receiving this devastating news.
There isn’t any extra time left for the council to even panic. A new mayor who the council thinks
has the ability to save the people was quickly appointed and a salvation project was proposed.
A NEW CITY.
The ISODIAN.
7 |ISODIAN A new beginning
A new city plan was proposed by the new mayor with the aim to create a city that could survive
the impact of the disaster and survive on as a sustainable floating city in the future. The solution
of a floating city came up because the disaster whole flood everything. Everything would be
submerged underwater. Besides that, a floating city was proposed as it is easier to maintain and

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still be able to create a humane environment for the people to live in. A floating city would only
be submerged in water by half; various reusable resources could be used to power the city.
Resources such as wind energy, solar energy (above the water), wave energy, electromagnetic
induction could be used. (Alternative power sources).
The name
ISODIAN, with the word isolation in it as in the city could survive totally on its own even
without any contact with the outer world.

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Characteristics
Basically, the whole city consists of 6 kinds of bubbles;
the main bubble, which is located at the center where all the important buildings are, such as
government buildings, military center, town hall, courts, main hospitals, main shopping malls,
main stadiums, storage area, offices, open spaces, research centres, cafes, etc;

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the commercial and education bubble, located at the outer layer surrounding the main bubble
like a ring. ( There are 2 water storage bubble at the same layer ( Mint green )
Small stadiums, small malls, stores, offices, schools, parks, hotels, man-made beaches, clinics,
religious & cultural area, etc are located in this bubble;

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the industrial bubble, the third ring surrounding the commercial and education bubbles.
Factories are all located here;

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the residential bubble, located at the most outer ring. ( There’s 1 port & shipping area bubble
in this layer ) Residential bubble consists of their own water storage area, self-efficiency farms,
public spaces, residential area,
religious & cultural areas,
hydropower generator, etc.
Buildings covered with green roofs.

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Transportation

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The Hyperloop would accelerate pods — each about 6.5 feet (2 meters) wide — through a low-
pressure tube from Point A to Point B. These pods would ride not on rails or wheels but rather a
cushion of air, greatly reducing the friction of the system.
"It would actually be a lot like traveling in anairplane,”Elon Musktold reporters during a
conference call today. “There’d be initial acceleration, and once you’retraveling at speed, you
wouldn’t really notice the speed at all.” The pods would be revved up to near-supersonic speeds
by linear electric motors like those used by Tesla. But the ultimate source of energy for the
system would be the sun.
"There’s actually way more surface area on the top of the tube [for solar panels] than you really
need," Musk said.
Musk envisions the Hyperloop as an alternative to California’s proposed $70 billion high-speed
rail system, which he regards as too expensive, inefficient and slow. He thinks a Los Angeles-
San Francisco Hyperloop line could be built for about $6 billion and deliver a much better travel
experience to passengers.
Tickets would be much cheaper than seats aboard a train or airplane, for example, and crashes
would be extremely rare. “It’s not like it’s going to fall out of the sky, nor can it be really
derailed, as a train can,” Musk said.
(ElectricSpace Kool-Aid, 2004)

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Bridges
The bridges connecting each bubble are separable when not in use. In each bridge, there are 4
lanes for the Hyperloop, 1 solar roadway & 1 bicycle lane. The electricity power storage are all
hidden under the lanes.

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Special features
Every residential bubble has their own water storage area & self-efficiency farms.
The bridges connecting the bubbles are where the transportation system is and equipped with
solar roadways throughout the entire city.

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As for the waste management, waste is directly sucked into pipes from rubbish bins to the waste
processing centre located in every bubble. Waste is then processed into micro-organic
compounds and transport out of the bubble into the sea.
Conclusion of ISODIAN
I believe that the proposal of Isodian – Floating city provides good living spaces for the people
and good sustainability for the coming years. With all of the alternative resources available to
produce energy, the city could run for a few thousand years.
The Isodian would be a city with minimal carbon footprint, eco-friendly, awesome greenery,
fresh air, efficient food supply, clean water and good connectivity and walkability.

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THE PROCESS & PROGRESS

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8 |Conclusion
After weeks of researching of different kinds of cities for this proposal, I’ve learn that in order to
have a good city, the division of space is crucial. Town planning is the basic in order to build a
successful city. Besides that, the needs of the citizen should also be taken care of. Sufficient food
supply, clean water, a comfortable environment is essential.
The greenery of the environment should also be place into consideration. We must also be
prepared beforehand in case of emergency so that when something happens, we will not panic.
Throughout this proposal, I’ve learned to think creatively/ think outside of the box, problem-
solving skills, research and observe how other cities were planned and the importance of zoning
a city.

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9 | Reference List
1) Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/city
2) Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen
3) Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/justingerdes/2012/10/24/copenhagens-
seawater-cooling-delivers-energy-and-carbon-savings/
4) Retrieved from https://www.stateofgreen.com/en/Profiles/City-of-Copenhagen
5) Retrieved from
http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/enterprisemelbourne/environment/Pages/Environment
Video.aspx
6) Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne
7) Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice
8) Retrieved from http://www.art.net/~hopkins/Don/simcity/manual/history.html

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