# IDEAL CITY



## RAD1604 (Dec 10, 2006)

If you could design an IDEAL city or town, what key elements would you include? 

Things to think about: infrustructure, layout, economy, government, society, architecture, physical features, climate, etc. 

This is pure fantasy. Be creative and thoughtful!


----------



## ch1le (Jun 2, 2004)

It would include capital punishment for architects and other dissidents who want open planning. Everything else just works out from that...


----------



## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

Paris with a Hong Kong district on the side. Oh and throw in a district with ancient Sanaa/ Fez. And Venice floating in the harbour. 
That's Rio's harbour btw.


----------



## nabob (Jun 7, 2006)

A big university with a lot of studies for women. The rest will follow...


----------



## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

Just some ideas off the top of my head...

- 100% renewable energy, solar panels and wind turbines everywhere.

- Zero-tolerance policing, like they've done in New York.

- Ban on chewing gum, heavy fines for litter.

- Massive areas of the city would be dedicated to greenery, parks, monuments and public spaces.

- Public transport would receive massive levels of funding and at least 90% of residents would use it.

- No height limits for skyscrapers.


----------



## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

the spliff fairy said:


> Paris with a Hong Kong district on the side.


Edinburgh with a Hong Kong district on the side.


----------



## ch1le (Jun 2, 2004)

wjfox2002 said:


> - Ban on chewing gum, heavy fines for litter.



beautiful, i can see that working.


----------



## zachus22 (Dec 4, 2006)

Have politically-aware children running an ethnically diverse city.

...If my instincts serve me correctly, this thread is going to be HUGE.


----------



## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

ch1le said:


> beautiful, i can see that working.


Well, it seems to work in Singapore. The streets are virtually spotless.


----------



## zachus22 (Dec 4, 2006)

wjfox2002 said:


> Well, it seems to work in Singapore. The streets are virtually spotless.


Singapore probably most closely fits the defenition of the 'Ideal City.' It was ranked by USA Today as the number one city to do business in, its almost - if not - crime free, and it's the cleanest city I have ever been to, bar none.


----------



## city_thing (May 25, 2006)

zachus22 said:


> *Have politically-aware children running an ethnically diverse city.*
> ...If my instincts serve me correctly, this thread is going to be HUGE.


I couldn't have said it better.

A city where _everyone_ is at home. A mix of New York, London, Paris, with the avant garde-ness of Berlin. A few Melbourne style lane-ways, the liberal attitude of Copenhagen.

A fantastic transport system and some great buildings wouldn't hurt either.

No racism, sexism, homophobia, intolerance or prejudice. Students exploring new ideas of how society should be interpreted and how capitalism and humanity should co-exist.

I know I'm dreaming.


----------



## sc4 (Apr 6, 2006)

We can already design our ideal city....SimCity 4 no?:lol:


----------



## Ian (Nov 26, 2006)

Architecturally: Like Paris

Multiculturally: Like New York

Nightlife: Like Buenos Aires

Clean: Like Singapore

Green: Like dunno

Transportation: "Almost" no cars, an efficient subway, tramways... and bikes everywhere  (like amsterdam)

I think that's all for now, maybe later i'll add some more details of course


----------



## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Well...

An extensive public transportation network

Lots and lots of greenery. 

Diverse and yet still placid. 

Good schools

Architecturally appealing

Some kind of water: a river, a lake, a coastline...

Affordable (probably a little hard, I think this city would be expensive).


----------



## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

airsound said:


> Multiculturally: Like New York



NYC has levels of segregation acc. to the 2000 census on worse levels than the 1960s, and getting worse. Its on a par with apartheid era South Africa .


----------



## zachus22 (Dec 4, 2006)

the spliff fairy said:


> NYC has levels of segregation acc. to the 2000 census on worse levels than the 1960s, and getting worse. Its on a par with apartheid era South Africa .


How about Toronto...?


----------



## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

yeh I think Toronto is more mixed, as is London.


----------



## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

ok here goes

Paris/Rome/Prague, with a Kowloon 'district' and an ancient Fez/Sanaa district. Venice as an offshore island, Rio de Janeiro's topography, Sydney's Bay. The ruined cities of Pagan and Angkor in the countryside around.
Moscow's underground, London's cosmopolitanism, parks, theatres and clubs, Madrid's bars, Tokyo's earnings, population and fashions, NYC's shopping, MOMA and business sector, Bangkok's society, Cape Town's weather, Amsterdam's city council, Cairo's crime rate, Kyoto's temples, Berlin's art scene, Florence's galleries, Paris's food, Beijing's Olympic park and Istanbul's markets/souks.

oh and throw in the Taj Mahal while ur at it, cheers.

and maybe Burj Dubai

and the Potala Palace.


----------



## PresidentBjork (Apr 29, 2007)

Oh wow, this one hell of a question, and will probably be one hell of a thread.

Perfect city, mmm - 

architecture like Paris and New York, 

street layout like Paris, e.g leafy boulevards, avenues

hustle and bustle of London, also with huge parks and other public spaces, 

geography of San Francisco to give plenty of nice panoramas and different leveled suburbs, (maybe around a bay?)

same easy going vibe and accepting like Toronto, 
plenty of public transport, utilities and health care
healthy for business (bring in the taxes and build those skyscrapers)


----------



## billyandmandy (Jun 6, 2006)

perfect question for the field of imagination:

architecturallythe city should be like central St.Petersburg and Vienna and a monumental city centre like in Ancient Rome, with a New York/Chicago skyscraper district. Wide shaded boulevards, huge pedestrian areas. Enormous Hyde Park/Central Park/ Versailles like open areas for recreation and relaxation. Palace cmplexes with even more parks near the city or in it (like Nymphenburg in Munich). There should also be an extensive subway and S-Bahn system, a mix between Berlin and Moscow. There have to be at least two or three ring roads resembling more the Champs-Elysees than a highway. Let's not forget a harbour district much like Hamburg/Amsterdam. 
There should be a ban on smooking, littering, petrol (only alternative power sources ) and ugly buildings 

Paris/Milan fashion, Barcelona/Ibiza night clubs, NYC/London/Tokyo economy, France/Italy/Russia museums and galleries, Hamptons/Beverly Hills-like suburbs, German railway, Frankfurt airport.


----------



## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

zachus22 said:


> Singapore probably most closely fits the defenition of the 'Ideal City.' It was ranked by USA Today as the number one city to do business in, its almost - if not - crime free, and it's the cleanest city I have ever been to, bar none.


Well, thats actually true. But at what costs? I mean you hardly can call Singapore a real democracy, can you? 

We all should hope that the leaders of Singapore remain to be that able and wise. Because if they aren't one day anymore this way, it will be hard to get other ones.


----------



## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

billyandmandy said:


> perfect question for the field of imagination:
> 
> architecturallythe city should be like central St.Petersburg and Vienna and a monumental city centre like in Ancient Rome, with a New York/Chicago skyscraper district. Wide shaded boulevards, huge pedestrian areas. Enormous Hyde Park/Central Park/ Versailles like open areas for recreation and relaxation. Palace cmplexes with even more parks near the city or in it (like Nymphenburg in Munich). There should also be an extensive subway and S-Bahn system, a mix between Berlin and Moscow. There have to be at least two or three ring roads resembling more the Champs-Elysees than a highway. Let's not forget a harbour district much like Hamburg/Amsterdam.
> There should be a ban on smooking, littering, petrol (only alternative power sources ) and ugly buildings
> ...


Sounds neat. 
I sign this.


----------



## city_thing (May 25, 2006)

^^ I would rather have a Beijing/Hong Kong/Singapore -even Sydney's ghastly airport would be better.

But I do like the idea of the central area being like St. Petersburg's.


----------



## nabob (Jun 7, 2006)

A rich history is very, very important, like many of the European cities.


----------



## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

the spliff fairy said:


> NYC has levels of segregation acc. to the 2000 census on worse levels than the 1960s, and getting worse. Its on a par with apartheid era South Africa .


Is New York is one of the most segregated cities in the US? Yes, very much so.

Having said that, the 2000 census showed a drop in residential segregation during the 1990s, and it is definitely better than in the sixties. I'm not saying that it's not segregated, but it's slowly getting better.

School segregation is another thing though...it's seeming to get worse, AFAIK.


----------



## zachus22 (Dec 4, 2006)

Slartibartfas said:


> Well, thats actually true. But at what costs? I mean you hardly can call Singapore a real democracy, can you?
> 
> We all should hope that the leaders of Singapore remain to be that able and wise. Because if they aren't one day anymore this way, it will be hard to get other ones.


If I'm not mistaken, Singapore is run under a representative democracy. So, the people elect representatives, but the representatives still have the power and authority to make important decisions.


----------



## Don Omar (Aug 10, 2006)

New York is pretty diverse, speaking from experience. I mean if you are the upper east and west sides not so much, but that is mostly based on economic means (which is something the city is working on with affordable housing put forth by Bloomberg).



> "In 2005, nearly 170 languages were spoken in the city and 36% of its population was foreign born."
> 
> "The projections also expect the net migration to New York — people arriving versus leaving — will more than triple."


 from Wikipedia

I think New York is getting close to being a great city. There was some reports done in 2005 and 2006 by an NGO on how the future of cities will be. http://www.urban-age.net/03_conferences/conf_newYork.html 
some pretty good reports.


----------



## DarkLite (Dec 31, 2004)

*My city I would like to see would have arterial highways running through it.
Rail lines would be extensive as well as coverage. The city would have a metro population of 4.5 million. There would be suburbs everywhere. It would be located in a Latin AMerican desert setting. Colonial architecture would be imitated everywhere and the people would be ethnically mixed, ethnic groups dont grow any faster than each other, leaving out marginalization (i.e, LA or MIA situation) everyone would be happy there was a mix of people .

The schools wouldnt be large and public education would be a top priority.

Cultural days would be held

I could go on:cheers: *


----------



## KoolKeatz (Jan 30, 2007)

billyandmandy said:


> perfect question for the field of imagination:
> 
> architecturallythe city should be like central St.Petersburg and Vienna and a monumental city centre like in Ancient Rome, with a New York/Chicago skyscraper district. Wide shaded boulevards, huge pedestrian areas. Enormous Hyde Park/Central Park/ Versailles like open areas for recreation and relaxation. Palace cmplexes with even more parks near the city or in it (like Nymphenburg in Munich). There should also be an extensive subway and S-Bahn system, a mix between Berlin and Moscow. There have to be at least two or three ring roads resembling more the Champs-Elysees than a highway. Let's not forget a harbour district much like Hamburg/Amsterdam.
> There should be a ban on smooking, littering, petrol (only alternative power sources ) and ugly buildings
> ...


he will be my major :|


----------



## kub86 (Aug 13, 2004)

It’d be a small, yet glamorous metropolis along the coast. You’d enter via a wide landscaped boulevard ($10 toll) with a pair of enormous statues guarding the entrance to town. There’d be opulent subway stations, using automated sleek white cars like Copenhagen’s. There’d be a monorail line to a man-made island 1km off the coast. The city’s architecture would be mostly elaborate and ornate lowrises, very art nouveau with heavy influences from hausmann & gaudi. Skyscrapers would cluster in a more modern downtown where all the subway lines and monorails would meet.

There’d only be apartments and no condos. We’d have a Palace of the Arts where the operas and ballets and other concerts would play. Residents would buy groceries at food halls like that of harrod’s and see films in grand movie palaces instead of typical theaters. The cost of living would still be affordable though. Main avenues would have tall trees with square-trimmed tops, sidewalks are wide and clean and buildings are kept up. A large central park will have gardens and lakes with swans, a coliseum for concerts and sports, a polo field, and other recreational centers. Schools would be small and made of marble. All the children would learn several languages and wear uniforms to school.

It'd be the most elegant city. The region would have less than a million people---quite stylish and open; yet not overly friendly. 

(a lot of my ideas come from turn of the century paris or barcelona..)


----------



## Deanb (Jun 7, 2006)

in my opinion, u shud include Tel Aviv's weather in it - cool but mild winters, nice spring and autumn, and a hot and humid summer, so u can go to the beach. (but don't most of the cities have a humid summer?)


----------



## RAD1604 (Dec 10, 2006)

Human beings, by nature, are utopian. We dream and we hope, since the dawn of civilization, we have conjured notions of an ideal and perfect existence. From the bucolic realms of the Garden of Eden, to Plato's republic of philosopher-kings, from the island paradise of Thomas More's Utopia to the libertarian collectives of nineteenth-century America to the counterculture communes of the 1960's, the ways in which utopia has been envisioned have changed dramatically over time. But whatever forms they have taken, utopian ideals have helped drive forward an unfolding process of reinvention, a process whereby humankind has sought, through vision and experimentation, a new and better life. Indeed, utopian visions, and the social experiments they inspired, are a product of our most freely creative faculty, the human imagination.

- The forward of an interview by Jessica Roemischer of historian Fritzie P. Manuel, co-author of "Utopian Thought in the Western World" in "What is Enlightenment?" magazine, April-June 2007


----------



## teh (Jun 5, 2005)

Actually I was thinking Singapore with an average of 20 degree celcius temperature ( *10 degree celcius below the current avearge *temperatue ) and maybe another* 40% less humidity *than current ( sometimes 100% humidity ) would make quite an ideal city. 

Of course, that is only my wish. With global warming now on going, the tempearture can only go up..hno:


----------



## billyandmandy (Jun 6, 2006)

An ideal city should have such bridges:










such grand government buildings:










such private harbours:










and such stuff:
















































as it is shown by the pictures, I'm a HUGE megalomaniac. but this sort of buildings should only be for the government part of the city centre so that it brings respect. 

P.S.: Piranesi was a genious IMO  :cheers:


----------



## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

*Geographic location:*
*arbour front city, with fine beaches closeby to the town center, i.e. a cross between Sydney, San Francisco, Hong Kong & Stockholm.

*tarting from downtown, a series of georgous rivers spanning into the suburbs. including a large one which would be a cross between the Seine & Upper Thames. And some smaller more intimate ones like that found in Strasbourg or Christchurch.

*Due to the harbour and rivers, downtown is on either an island or series of islands like Strasbourg, Lübeck or Stockholm.

*Closeby, the suburbs become extremely hilly like Hong Kong, Rio or Vancouver.

*Architecture*
*primarily Europen in design at the core, with high densities and grand historical buildings. However, with several inner neighbourhoods full of cutting edge contempory designs and layouts. A cross between Paris, Barcelona and Rome.

*Bordering downtown, on set of islands and canals (similar to Canary Wharf in London) is a major skyscraper cluster, but with taller and more cutting edge skyscrapers.

* Suburbs a generous mix of medium to high density for the main core, laced by canals (with a Venice style historical quarter, moving out to Amsterdam style in the inner suburbs) As the inner suburbs fall out to the metropoitan area's, the houses and canals become more Miami Beach, Gold Coast style 

* An extensive metro system covering the entire central area, with an equally extensive underground commuter system for the suburbs. All rail in urban area's is underground. At street level, a large series of tram networks for all major centers, and ferry networks across the waterways.

Population, approx 10million.


----------



## z0rg (Jan 17, 2003)

wjfox2002 said:


> Just some ideas off the top of my head...
> 
> - 100% renewable energy, solar panels and wind turbines everywhere.
> 
> ...


I agree, this would be my choice too. But since no city could be self sufficient just with solar panels and wind turbines I'd add a nuclear plant in the suburbs.

My ideal city would be:

Density: Like Hong Kong

Neatness and attention to details: Like Tokyo

Skyscrapers: Like Shanghai, everywhere around the city, not only in the CBD(s)

Weather/geography: Warm, foggy and rainy. Several big rivers in zigzag crossing the city so that it needs many major bridges everywhere. Like Chongqing.

Transports: Huge system of subway and urban railways in general like London, Madrid or Tokyo. And [elevated] highways everywhere, even in the city center, like Tokyo or Shanghai.

Law and order, cleaning, etc: Like Singapore (huge fines for littering, spitting, etc)

Politics: Maximum level of economic and religious freedom, very low taxes, free euthanasia, abortion, gay unions, etc. Death penalty. Open repression against radical ideologies, wild strikes, rioting, sensationalist press and any other threat for social peace. Very hard laws against any kind of discrimination (gender, religion, race, sexual preference, etc)

Things banned (I'll omit comparisons here):
Plain urbanism, any kind of ghetto (racial, religious, gay, whatever), height limits, soft drugs, drinking and smoking in public spaces, prostitution, brothels, casinos, graffiti, chewing gum, public nudism, walking around with the torso naked (including men) or wearing too short shorts or too short miniskirts, adultery, etc.


----------



## monkeyronin (May 18, 2006)

^ Wow, what a pleasant, _moral_-based city :lol:


----------



## Sideshow_Bob (Jan 14, 2005)

z0rg said:


> Things banned (I'll omit comparisons here):
> Plain urbanism, any kind of ghetto (racial, religious, gay, whatever), height limits, soft drugs, drinking and smoking in public spaces, prostitution, brothels, casinos, graffiti, chewing gum, public nudism, walking around with the torso naked (including men) or wearing too short shorts or too short miniskirts, adultery, etc.


I wouldn't move to your city..


----------



## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

z0rg said:


> Things banned (I'll omit comparisons here):
> soft drugs, drinking and smoking in public spaces, prostitution, brothels, casinos, graffiti, chewing gum, public nudism, walking around with the torso naked (including men) or wearing too short shorts or too short miniskirts, adultery, etc.


God, what a horrible place your ideal city would be.


----------



## sbarn (Mar 19, 2004)

the spliff fairy said:


> NYC has levels of segregation acc. to the 2000 census on worse levels than the 1960s, and getting worse. Its on a par with apartheid era South Africa .


Give me a break... hno:


----------



## USARG (Jun 6, 2009)

BUENOS AIRES IS THE PERFECT COMBINATION WITHIN A SUPER BIG CITY!
PARIS,NEW YORK,MADRID AND BERLIN WITH A TOUCH OF LATIN FLAVOR
AND BEAUTIFUL,CULTURED PEOPLE=PERFECT MIX=10 POINTS !!!!


----------



## atmada (Jan 9, 2008)

ideal city? make it child-friendly first, others will follow then, less cars, less pollution, more greenery and public space, good public transportation networks, free access to health and education facilities


----------



## Skyrazer (Sep 9, 2009)

Ugh, reading this topic makes me depressed. Basically what just about eveyone constitutes as a perfect city is the complete opposite of the "city" I live in minus having a low crime rate.

Gotta get out of this shithole....


----------



## brianmoon85 (Oct 14, 2006)

Even though I live almost everyone's favorite city NYC,

my ideal city should be a combination of:

NYC: Cutting-edge Skyscrapers, Central Park, Multicultural Diversity, Metro
Seoul: High Tech Mass Transit System, Han River, Shopping/Entertainment
Tokyo: Clean Streets, Uniqueness of Japanese Architecture
London: Historical Architecture and the English "Vibe"
Paris: Sidewalk Cafes/Bistros, Elegant/Romantic Atmosphere, Seine River


----------



## Dimethyltryptamine (Aug 22, 2009)

Justme said:


> *Geographic location:*
> *arbour front city, with fine beaches closeby to the town center, i.e. a cross between Sydney, San Francisco, Hong Kong & Stockholm.
> 
> *tarting from downtown, a series of georgous rivers spanning into the suburbs. including a large one which would be a cross between the Seine & Upper Thames. And some smaller more intimate ones like that found in Strasbourg or Christchurch.
> ...


I like the sounds of this city


----------



## PeruTravel (Nov 12, 2010)

Ian said:


> Architecturally: Like Paris
> 
> Multiculturally: Like New York
> 
> ...


I like the idea !

And how do you want to call that city ? something like "New Paris SingAires"
:lol:


----------



## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

1 - large enough to have a large economy and cultural, sporting and other such amenities, but not a sprawling mega-city either, so pop. between 1 and 3 million.

2 - wide-reaching public transport (preferably metro and tramway based rather than buses where possible), and integrated transport interfaces: i.e. several stations serving more than one mode of transport for easier mode-to-mode transport; parking lots next to the outer metro/tram stations so that people commuting into work from outside the city by car can finish their journey on PT thus cutting down on congestion within the city centre. 

3 - ideally it msut have a well-preserved historic city centre, although such a thing varies according the each city's own history.

4 - a varied economy, so no dependence on only one main source (like only tourism, only manufacturing, etc) so as not to end up like Venice or Detroit one day.

5 - some kind of unique feature that sets it appart from all other cities: for example Rio has its bay, NY the Statue of Liberty, Paris the Eiffel Tower ect. Failing that, at least a few things of medium architectural or natural interest.

6 - no uber-rich gated communities and very poor ghettoes. Of course having richer areas and poor areas will always happen, but the disparity must not be too high. In the town centre, rent must be affordable enough for a wide cross section of society to be able to reside there. Major cultural atractions to be concentrated mostly here, + restaurants, bars, main shopping streets etc. Also a number of pedestrianised areas to be here.

7 - CBD slightly off-centered, like La Défense for example. No height restrictions unless for good reason (i.e proximity to an airport or something)

8 - other areas/quarters of the city to have their own identities (but no ethnic/religious ghettoes) and interesting places (markets, squares, buildings of interest etc)

9 - of course a sufficient amount of hospitals, schools, street-cleaning services, and for the city's finances to be in good enough shape to pay for it all (if number 4 above works well enough, then it should be OK).

10 - overall for the city to be pleasant visually: architecturally, a nice natrual setting (sea/river/or mountains), an abundance of squares and parks, a large number of tree-lined streets etc. This in turn will make the city pleasant to live in.

This list could go on but that's at least covered the main points where I'm concerned!


----------



## jefferson2 (May 31, 2008)

Ian said:


> Architecturally: Like Paris
> 
> Multiculturally: Like New York
> 
> ...



singapore is a unique cool place... but that said, i dont understand why 'clean' is so good. Too clean makes people nervous... a little bit of litter on the streets and some colorful grafiti like milan or sao paulo make a city more relaxing and liveable


----------



## Chrissib (Feb 9, 2008)

Ideal city, eh? Just have to think:

1. Child-friendly. At first, a city has to be sustainable, so it should have sustainable demographics with a healthy birth rate that leads to growth.

2. Structure. My ideal city would have a historic medieval core with timber framed houses, a big square with the cathedral and city hall. The core would be circumferred by a strip of parks and an inner beltway. Around that would be the buildings built around 1900 with wide boulevards, cafes and that stuff. It would look like Berlin and Paris combined. Around that, the modern city would be. Skyscrapers in clusters around busy subway-stations and a sea of mid-rise buildings dominate the scenery. Because of the limits of old buildings in the center, the huge new parts will be the densiest with appartement buildings typically 7-8 storeys high side by side on narrow roads which limit car traffic and encourage walking. That's where the majority of the city's population will live. This dense structure will be interrupted by the rivers flowing through the city to the sea. On the coast huge land-reclamation would take place, with skyscrapers and parks on those new islands. 

3. Traffic. Because of the limited space of course not everyone will be able to travel by car all the time. Although there are viaducts above the main roads in the city, most short-distance travel will be made by subway, in the inner city also tram. A network of motorways without speed limit will be in the underground of the city. The airport will be on an artificial island a few kms in front of the city on the sea. 

4. economy. The economy of the city itself would be largely based on bankking and services. The coastal suburbs will host the port and industry. The other suburbs have high-tech industry. On the former port in the city there will be residential skyscrapers. From there you'll be able to enjoy a view over the sea. 

5. size. City will be roughly 15-20km in diameter (ca. 350km²) with a population of 12 million. Suburbs will host the majority of population (30 million inhabitants). So a really big city, but I like big cities :lol:


----------



## boy261 (Nov 13, 2010)

*great!*



billyandmandy said:


> An ideal city should have such bridges:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## kokorokokoro (Nov 17, 2010)

boy261 said:


> billyandmandy said:
> 
> 
> > An ideal city should have such bridges:
> ...


----------



## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

An ideal city is not something a one-size fits all approach could create.

My city would have a variety of districts from centers with a mix of apartments and commercial buildings to suburban areas of detached homes. The question is how to combine these areas so that they function in harmony(such as having apartments above shops rather than separate malls and residential complexes), and also how to balance planning with the actual market supply/demand of things like housing. The latter is really important, a lot of planned cities failed because they couldn't keep up with the actual needs of an urbanizing metropolis. Canberra, Aus never had enough business districts, for example.

Also since the nice idea of planning out perfect little utopian villages and connecting them together into a city has never really worked right beyond some pretty drawings by architects since the days of the "garden city" in the 1800s, I have a different approach.

Basically, it would be a linear decentralized city which is the form many completely unplanned, organic cities take. But there would be planning. Transport corridors would be multimodal. Land use would be more or less intense relative to the distance from them. Natural junctions between these corridors would become edge cities that in some cases may have a special purpose such as a university center, a medical district, a government area, etc.

The whole thing would be envisioned by analyzing the geography of the area. Overlaying maps of different kinds of sensitive natural features or advantageous landscapes to development would create a basic outline of where urbanization would be optimal. Then, it would be a matter of placing the hubs in our spider web of transport corridors and drawing lines between the dots, and hopefully, with some success rate you would get good development. The good thing about this is that it can scale up and grow and be adaptable to change as well.

In a lot of ways, this would reflect how modern urban areas grow whether they are in southern Asia or southern California. But there would be reasonable governance and planning, where things that create sprawling messes would be disallowed in favor of smarter design.


----------



## The Cebuano Exultor (Aug 1, 2005)

*My Ideal City*

Architecture: Vienna and Paris (downtown); Vancouver or Hong Kong (CBD)
Mass-Transit: Hong Kong or Madrid (efficiency of the mass-transit systems); New York (24-hour service) [Sorry Tokyo]
Density: Seoul or Hong Kong
Expanse: Roughly 200 square kilometers
Population: 3 million (max)
Number of Airports: 1 mega-airport (for civil, cargo, military, and general aviation use) [with tons of wide-bodied aircraft movement]
Culture: San Francisco, Amsterdam, or Stockholm
Arts: Paris or Milan


----------



## Limon (Nov 19, 2010)

Sea
Long History and lots of culture
Beautiful Geography
Over 10m Population
Great Economy and Health
Really big and good universities, lots of students
Lots of green (Parks, Trees, vs...)
Great Football Teams =)
And 3-4 best friend 
thats what i want... =)


----------



## lizayuen (Oct 14, 2010)

A fantastic transport system and some great buildings wouldn't hurt either.

------------
Rider Dunas Suede Mens Brown


----------



## Rapter (Nov 5, 2010)

In My Opinion an ideal city would be:

-Population between 500,000 and 1.5 million
-Very well developed public transport, such as BRT, Tram/metro network
-Well developed educational institutions (schools, university etc.)
-Good standard of living for it's inhabitants
-Good connection with other cities on high speed rail, motorways, airports
-A lot of parks and squares in the city center for people, car parks to be put underground only
-Few skyscrapers (not too high though)
-Good sports facilities, such as arenas, stadiums, pools etc.
-Corruption-free government
-Historical city center
-Well developed bicycle lane network
-Small ownership of private cars, something like (150-200 per 1,000 inhabitants)
-Must have a (motorway type) ring-road around the city
-Absence of urban sprawl


----------



## oliver999 (Aug 4, 2006)

green! the whole city built in a forest.


----------



## RokasLT (Nov 17, 2010)

GREMLIN CITY xD


----------



## ThatDarnSacramentan (Oct 26, 2008)

I forgot one very important aspect of my city: no people. None, zip, nada. The lights are on but nobody's home. Population: zero.


----------



## yubnub (May 3, 2010)

i'd like Venice as it is, but with less tourists and cheaper housing. Maybe add in an underground railway system and a maglav train to get to the dolomites in an hour.


----------



## alheaine (Jan 11, 2009)

billyandmandy said:


> An ideal city should have such bridges:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


^^
i love it like this..iloilo city, philippines should have a mini version of this..hehehehe..:bash::banana::lol::cheers:


----------



## wecantski (Feb 16, 2009)

jefferson2 said:


> singapore is a unique cool place... but that said, i dont understand why 'clean' is so good. Too clean makes people nervous... a little bit of litter on the streets and some colorful grafiti like milan or sao paulo make a city more relaxing and liveable


agreed - you need some urban grit!singapore is too clean, its just like being in an outdoor hospital. I wouldnt use singapore as a template for an ideal city as everytime ive been ive found it quite dull and sterile..but maybe thats just me!


----------



## icehot (Apr 23, 2010)

If Singapore had European people and was located in Europe, yet retained its climate - Id say its the winner.


----------



## VECTROTALENZIS (Jul 10, 2010)

icehot said:


> If Singapore had European people and was located in Europe, yet retained its climate - Id say its the winner.


What's wrong with that Singapore has Asian people and located in Asia?


----------



## icehot (Apr 23, 2010)

VECTROTALENZIS said:


> What's wrong with that Singapore has Asian people and located in Asia?


Nothing is wrong with it, but my ideal city would be more European.


----------



## arquitekto (Jun 12, 2009)

An *Ideal City* must have:

-a <2% unemployment rate
-at least 3 General Hospitals (public)
-Several choices of Public & Semi-Private Schools
-2 Shopping Centers (+ restaurants & cafes)
-Clean & well-lit streets & roadways w/ a more improved transportation & MRT
-30 to 40% of the area is for greeneries & landscaping
-Cigarette Smoking ban
-Proper Solid / Liquid Waste Management
-Must be very accessible to other cities / towns via expressways


----------

