City Of The Future?

[emordnilap]

The other problem with high buildings is the number of bankers who jump off them.

I agree, we could do with a few more.

[vtsnowedin]

The other problem with high buildings is the number of bankers who jump off them.

I agree, we could do with a few more.

More Bankers or more high buildings for them to jump from?

[kenneal - lagger]

Tarrel, Marakesh is a bit different in size to London and Sao Paulo (about twice the size of London). All three would rely on food being bought in from maybe a hundred miles away. Not sustainable without fossil fuel power.

The latest thinking in town planning is finger development where you build transport arteries fanning out from the town/city centre. These then branch again as you go out so that there is always green space between the fingers (except in the centre obviously) and the transport is no more than five or ten minutes walk from the edge of the development. They have radial links at certain distances from the centre when traveling in and out becomes to long a distance. Cities like Curitaba in Brazil are being planned this way.

Most older cities were limited to six stories, that being the acceptable height for foot traffic, they were fitter than we are now in those days, and this is what sustainable architects like Bill Dunster of ZedFactory are suggesting as the norm for the future. Obviously lifts are provided but when the lifts finally break the block will still be usable.

[emordnilap]

The other problem with high buildings is the number of bankers who jump off them.

I agree, we could do with a few more.

More Bankers or more high buildings for them to jump from?

Yes, more high risers with more bankers who jump off them.

[Tarrel]

Tarrel, Marakesh is a bit different in size to London and Sao Paulo (about twice the size of London). All three would rely on food being bought in from maybe a hundred miles away. Not sustainable without fossil fuel power.

The latest thinking in town planning is finger development where you build transport arteries fanning out from the town/city centre. These then branch again as you go out so that there is always green space between the fingers (except in the centre obviously) and the transport is no more than five or ten minutes walk from the edge of the development. They have radial links at certain distances from the centre when traveling in and out becomes to long a distance. Cities like Curitaba in Brazil are being planned this way.

Most older cities were limited to six stories, that being the acceptable height for foot traffic, they were fitter than we are now in those days, and this is what sustainable architects like Bill Dunster of ZedFactory are suggesting as the norm for the future. Obviously lifts are provided but when the lifts finally break the block will still be usable.

The finger development idea makes sense.

Maybe cities the size of London won't actually be sustainable in an energy descent future, but those with populations the size of, say, Manchester will be.

[SleeperService]

The finger development idea makes sense.

Maybe cities the size of London won't actually be sustainable in an energy descent future, but those with populations the size of, say, Manchester will be.

I've been thinking about this and agree that finger development could work. However would we need large cities at all? Nottingham is a good example of a city that has spread to engulf the surrounding villages and towns but there is a lot of brownfield development potential in the central part.

If some of the measures we have been discussing were to be tried the city footprint would reduce quite a bit I'd think. There is certainly plenty of scope for improvement in so many ways....