Building a City from Scratch

[Gauracandra]

Francis Ford Coppola is considering writing and directing a movie with this scenario - what if scientists and artists came together to design a city. Its tentatively called "Megatropolis". Anyways, yesterday I was watching The Learning Channel (or perhaps Discover, or A&E, I can't remember) and they had a quick 5 minute section on Brasilia. I had never heard of this before. I guess in the 1960s, the President of Brazil decided to build a city from scratch in the heart of Brazil. His plan eventually came to fruition, but nearly bankrupted the country. It was designed for 1/2 million people, but today has about 2 million residents, many of whom are poor living on the outskirts. I'd be interested if any of you have info. on this city's history. Also, just for fun, if you were to build a city how would you design it. In Utah, the Mormons designed Salt Lake City around their first temple. Every street radiates out from the temple as the center. So your street address would be like 1000 North Temple or such. What design elements would you incorporate? Its pure imagination. I'll think up a few ideas, but just for fun, maybe suggest some.

 

Gauracandra

[Maitreya]

It would be a giant garden.A massive circular garden.Like the spokes of a wheel.The very center would be a huge temple and festival grounds.All main roads would be the spokes leading to the main temple.These would be tree lined walkways with an electric or magnetic rail system for mass transit.But the streets would be so wide that the transit system would be barley noticable.The general highway would be walkways, bikes and peddle carts on one side and the other for horses.Solar powered personal vehicles could also be worked in.gardens and trees would be the dividers.There would be no combustable engines anywhere in the city.

 

Shops would be in certain areas along the spokes.Large corporations are banned and local family businesses are all that you see.No meat is sold.

 

Also no rap music or heavy metal.

 

Within this gigantic wheel would be neighborhoods.They would also be spoked wheels with a temple at the center of each.Basically minatures of the whole.Wheels within wheels.

 

Wheels dont fit exactly together.The areas where they separate are for parks and orchards.

 

They would all be self sufficient in that all one's needs in terms of producing foodstuff and procuring basic necessities could be found in your own local wheel.Interspersed throughout are ponds and artisticly designed gardens,allowing for great variety within the standarized plan.

 

Each circle would have its own schools and grounds.The idea is one of small community feelings and interactions with a metropolitan

sized experience not far away.

 

Although basic produce is grown all throughout the city, you would still have pasturing grounds and large agri-fields ringing the large wheel.What the local weather prohibts from growing will be grown in hot houses of various types.

 

And due to a special benediction from the gods, mangoes are always in season.

 

McDreamer

[Gauracandra]

Our current city structure is based on an outdated model. In the past it was necessary to have a central location for the efficient and timely transportation of information and goods. Railroads brought goods to a central location for later transportation across other channels. Cities developed, and even within cities downtown areas developed.

 

But with the 1950s came change. Now there were roads and cars. Now people could live in the suburbs, buy cheap land and build nice homes. So they moved out of the cities and commuted to downtown for the jobs. This created a hollow city structure devoid of a solid tax base as the middle class fled the cities for the safe suburbs. And so we saw a spiral downwards in many of our cities with the poor left behind. A good tax base was no longer available to pay for quality education in our inner cities. In the past a rich man’s son might go to the same public school as a poor man’s son. Now the poor were left behind. And to a certain extent you really couldn’t blame those who left the cities. Rent was high, the quality of life not nearly as good as the suburbs. As some left it created an avalanche that encouraged others to get out as well.

 

Now we live in an information age. Goods can be moved very easily at inexpensive cost. Why do we even need a downtown area? It exists now simply due to momentum from the past. Banks no longer need to congregate in a “financial district”. They send their information across electronically. I think the idea of cities as we know them will change radically. We may not even have downtown areas. An electronic environment will allow people to telecommute. Other jobs could be spread out around the city creating a more even distribution of jobs and helping out traffic. Right now everyone goes downtown every morning to work. Why? Because that’s where the jobs are. So traffic is terrible. Why not have those same jobs spread all around the city.

 

I think a design for a future city should take this into consideration. I liked your idea, Maitreya, about a circular city linked by a monorail. Suppose people lived in the interior of the circle, and instead of having a centralized downtown, the outer circle had all the jobs. Evenly distributed around the circle. It would make for a better traffic flow, and create a more even distribution of jobs for the residents. Just one idea.

 

Gauracandra

 

[JRdd]

Before I move on down this thread I need to make a few serious amendments to Maitreya's plan before it gets taken too seriously and someone acts on it. Please scroll down.

 

Originally posted by Maitreya:

It would be a giant garden.A massive circular garden.Like the spokes of a wheel.The very center would be a huge temple and festival grounds.

So far, so good.

 

Now at this point I would like to say that most everything I agree with except for size, which necessitates the high tech transit system he speaks of. Instead of a huge town, so huge that duplicate circles can be contained within the larger circle, you make neighbouring townships, not too close together, forests between, a few miles at least, makes get togethers more exciting and fun, and then there also is more variety, which happens naturally, when a group of people work closely together in these smaller, localized situations. Please read Small is Beautiful by Schumacher again. When things get too big, things self destruct, as we have seen in even our ISKCON history. Localization means more personal, and more understanding of the peoples' requirements and mentalities and makes better use of their talents.

 

So no need for some big old transit system to spoil the looks of everything. And no nedd for such wide streets then either. Just little lanes, walking paths, horse carts, yes! and bicycle lanes, and plenty of spontaneous help for the oldsters who may need to be wheeled along. Lots of grass and benches to lounge on, even sleep on if one wants, in total safety. Lots of free food along the way, for the land is well tended and the trees in the main grounds are fruit as well as flowering trees, particularly cherry trees, and many people like to bring out their baked goods and produce for offering in the temple then bringing outside for locals and wayfarers alike. No one is ever hungry.

 

This Brazillia got too big for its boots because it was designed with capitalism in mind. My landlord's lady is from that city, and is returning from there this week, and the situation of economics is terrible--though it does not affect the average person--meaning, I gathered from his description, those few lucky ones in the city proper. Keep things small. Even if it means one town houses the main huge temple for neighbouring villages.

 

I love the spokes idea though, and the trees lining the walks. Don't forget the streams, and a river to swim in.

 

Agree about the music, too, with the addition of banning certain types of country music. Neil Young would be allowed and encouraged.

 

Oh now I see that I missed Maitreya's important point about each small wheel being self-sufficient, which addresses my concern about small is beautiful. So it looks like I am in agreement with everything he said except for the transit system. But then maybe I am not being practical.

 

I bow to your genius.

 

JR

[JRdd]

We won't need to be in an information age if we do everything naturally and in harmony with the earth and her resources. Information in our age is only needed due to the exploitive mentality. No jobs, either, and no money. Just good honest natural work, and bartering one's services or goods. Doesn't that sound way more fun?

 

Originally posted by Gauracandra:

Our current city structure is based on an outdated model. In the past it was necessary to have a central location for the efficient and timely transportation of information and goods. Railroads brought goods to a central location for later transportation across other channels. Cities developed, and even within cities downtown areas developed.

 

But with the 1950s came change. Now there were roads and cars. Now people could live in the suburbs, buy cheap land and build nice homes. So they moved out of the cities and commuted to downtown for the jobs. This created a hollow city structure devoid of a solid tax base as the middle class fled the cities for the safe suburbs. And so we saw a spiral downwards in many of our cities with the poor left behind. A good tax base was no longer available to pay for quality education in our inner cities. In the past a rich man’s son might go to the same public school as a poor man’s son. Now the poor were left behind. And to a certain extent you really couldn’t blame those who left the cities. Rent was high, the quality of life not nearly as good as the suburbs. As some left it created an avalanche that encouraged others to get out as well.

 

Now we live in an information age. Goods can be moved very easily at inexpensive cost. Why do we even need a downtown area? It exists now simply due to momentum from the past. Banks no longer need to congregate in a “financial district”. They send their information across electronically. I think the idea of cities as we know them will change radically. We may not even have downtown areas. An electronic environment will allow people to telecommute. Other jobs could be spread out around the city creating a more even distribution of jobs and helping out traffic. Right now everyone goes downtown every morning to work. Why? Because that’s where the jobs are. So traffic is terrible. Why not have those same jobs spread all around the city.

 

I think a design for a future city should take this into consideration. I liked your idea, Maitreya, about a circular city linked by a monorail. Suppose people lived in the interior of the circle, and instead of having a centralized downtown, the outer circle had all the jobs. Evenly distributed around the circle. It would make for a better traffic flow, and create a more even distribution of jobs for the residents. Just one idea.

 

Gauracandra

 

[Tarun]

I just spent 2 months in Miami + 1 month in Alachua.

Alachua population is 7,000, some 700 of whom practice vaisnavism.

Some say more like 500-600. Then again, including children...

PrabhupAd foresaw, "It's a fact. Not everyone will take to KRSNa consciousness. But if we can convince 5%, then the other 95% can see their good example and be benefitted."

This 5-10% may be possible within Alachua's near future.

Actually, they're already there!

Alachua County includes Gainesville with its famous University.

Gainesville is 16 miles southeast from Alachua.

Right now most Alachua devotees still drive cars.

Archaic yet true.

Rolling hills make bicycling strenuous though possible.

I did it. I did both. Hitchhiking too.

90% live within a 7 mile radius of the main ISKCON temple.

RTvik Reform Restore adherents often meet separately.

ZripAd Narayan Mhrj followers often meet separately.

About 200 devotees regularly show up for Sunday feasts.

About 300 showed up for Sunita dd's funeral Sunday morning 10am-Noon.

About 70 show up for mangalAratrik & Tulasi-pUjA 5am.

About 70 show up for Govindam & guru-pUjA 7am.

About 30 stay for BhAgavatam class 7:45-8:45am.

Some haven't shown up for years.

Some prefer to do their bhajan at home.

They're all vaisnavas. So many levels. No 2 are alike.

Acintya bhedAbheda tattva. Hare KRSNa.

 

[Guest guest]

Tarun,

 

I missed you in DC. So, you "had MUCH sadhu-sanga" in Aluchua?