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!

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

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.

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

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.

Paris with a Hong Kong district on the side.

Edinburgh with a Hong Kong district on the side.;)

- Ban on chewing gum, heavy fines for litter.




beautiful, i can see that working.

Have politically-aware children running an ethnically diverse city.

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

beautiful, i can see that working.

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

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.

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.

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

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 ;)

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).

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 :(.

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...?

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

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

Sounds neat. :)
I sign this.

^^ 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.

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

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.

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.

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 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_New_York_City)

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.

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:

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.

he will be my major :|

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..)

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?)

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

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..:ohno:

An ideal city should have such bridges:

http://www.wfu.edu/art/pc/images/pc-piranesi-bridge.jpg

such grand government buildings:

http://www.wfu.edu/art/pc/images/pc-piranesi-scale.jpg

such private harbours:

http://libweb.princeton.edu/libraries/firestone/rbsc/aids/piranesi/piranesi.jpg

and such stuff:

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-014.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-012.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-002.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-013.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-009.jpg



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:

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.

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.

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.

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

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..

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.

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... :ohno:

what little they know, huh? I guess they would know more by reading data rather than living here. Brilliance.

me think the sondo city designer in korea had read this treat

a city,with new york central park,paris tree lines boulevard,vanice like canal,and more

Architecture mostly a 50/50 mix of Kyoto and NYC, with the latter being more prominent as one moves toward downtown and away from the dense, well-connected suburbs that extend into the mountains. Lots of geenery, an art deco themed financial district, Egyptian revival themed public squares, clean streetscapes, wide sidewalks (with exceptions in distinct historical neighbourhoods), few cars, intimate spaces, public parks, Japanese gardens, etc. The natural setting like a mixture of Sydney, LA, and San Francisco. A large metropolitan area extending far down the coast in each direction, with great views and world-class real estate in the mountains/hills. An extensive subway network that connects the majority of the population despite the city having two equally busy centres, separated by a large bay. One side slightly more alternative/chaotic/artsy/young, think Toronto+San Francisco. The other more typically "settled", think Manhattan+London. Abundant tree-lined streets with rich foliage. Islands in the distance that are home to national parks. Powerful thunderstorms and regular, predictable San Francisco-like fog later on in the cool season. Internationally renowned destination for its lifestyle and educational institutes.

A strong outdoor cafe (hookah/cannabis/coffee) culture. No last call for bars, and no noise complaints if one chooses to live in areas with significant nightlife presence. Plenty of easily accessible outdoor opportunities like hiking & bicycling trails, sailing, etc. A population of ~8-10 million. The local cuisine a unique mixture of Indian, Lebanese, Portugese, Mexican, and Japanese, with tons of award-winning microbreweries. A collective mentality in city politics that leaves no room for NIMBYs. No height restrictions for buildings, but strict design standards. Innovative companies and specialized industries. A city that inspires artists, writers, the film industry and pop culture in general. The fashion of Tokyo and liberalism of Amsterdam. Home to a wide variety of subcultures and cultural diversity in general.

edit: Oops I doubleposted and don't know how to delete...

My ideal city would be, a large spread out metropolis, with a booming CBD, dwarfed by gleaming towers, mixed with old architecture (like London mixed with Toronto financial district) and a subway station every two blocks. Huge suburbs with subway connecting them with CBD. Zero or very little crime, clean, green buildings, no pollution, open park areas, booming nightlife. Two major football clubs with fanatic supporters and two large universities. Urban planning similar to Toronto's with wide open avenues similar to Parisian ones. And an average year round temperature of 25 degrees celcius.

^
There should be a subway station every 2 blocks in Toronto suburbs? I don't know what city could afford that.

http://torontoist.com/attachments/toronto_karen/2007_03_21Suburbs.jpg

No city in the world could afford a subway station every two blocks but it's my fantasy city :lol:, btw Toronto's suburbs are perfect looking.^^

btw Toronto's suburbs are perfect looking.^^

I'm assuming your idea of a "suburb" is basically any residential area outside of the core? (I'm also assuming here that the Irish definition of a suburb is the same as the British/Australian one...correct me if I'm wrong) i.e. this kinda stuff?

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/6051/393183962aa0f031479b.jpg

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7489/2938756872e481fe0fcbo.jpg


Because that I can agree with, but if you mean that dreary post-war suburban sprawl as pictured in the post above - no way!

http://torontoist.com/attachments/toronto_karen/2007_03_21Suburbs.jpg[/QUOTE]
You would find some suburbs similar to this photo in Ireland, the houses would never be as large as these and if they were they would cost an absolute fortune, and our suburbs don't really come in streets and avenues, they would be housing estates i.e. one way in and one way out.Our suburbs are similar to the UK but their suburbs would be much older, ours would be a lot newer. A lot of inner suburbs in Dublin would be terraced row housing, some very poor, some are nice. In this photo these are outer suburbs in Toronto am I right? They are my idea of perfect suburbs, great looking, nice sized gardens and quiet roads free from traffic, fairly new looking, great for families etc.

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.
This.

Great idea for a thread! We can all dream can't we:D

without sounding too much like an authoritarian fascist :| Here's my ideal city, borrowing some ideas from other forumers as well ;-)

Transportation/infrastructure:
-extensive metro system, each station having unique and beautiful artwork and no annoying advertisements. the station signs would be clearly visible from any window in the subway car so no one has to ask 'what station is this?':lol:
-historic tram system throughout the city but prominent on major avenues
avenues/main streets would incorporate peds, bike lanes, trams, and a small amount of cars (like Amsterdam)
-tree lined streets
-biodiesal bus system with safe and clean bus shelters
-extensive suburban rail network; each 'suburban' area would be accessable by rail via walking or biking

-no billboards anywhere; advertisements only on Parisian style kiosks :D
-pedestrian zones in denser areas; covered 'passages' like in Paris or Istanbul
-street markets like London, most produce and meat would be locally grown, other specialties imported


-average building height of res buildings btwn 3-5 stories
-tall skyscrapers located in la Defense style business district
-no ugly 1960s style buildings
-'green roofs' on most flat topped buildings
-100% renewable energy of course

-no ethnic or gay ghettos, all social groups well integrated and respected throughout the city
-integration of socio-economic groups (no wealthy or poor ghettos). all classes live side by side
-religious diversity, but no room for hateful religious/cult ideologies

-cultural and music festivals in public places and certain streets
-food from all over the world as any self respected city would have

the city would have a large central park, but also special Japanese, Andalusian, Persian, and English style gardens

-Beautiful schools that DON'T look like prisons. Each would have a small garden or outdoor area where children can have classes on nice days :)
Children would learn several languages as part of the curriculum

World class museums and cultural centers that are free (or very cheap) :lol:

Lastly, men and women allowed to go topless in public only if they're fit and sexy, all others confined to designated 'au natural ' areas only:lol:
Prostitution legal, but prostitutes only allowed to 'advertise' in red light district

I like it ^^:banana:, I forgot to add I want my CBD 70-80% pedestrian friendly with free tram service in the city centre similar to Calgary. :lol:

In this photo these are outer suburbs in Toronto am I right? They are my idea of perfect suburbs, great looking, nice sized gardens and quiet roads free from traffic, fairly new looking, great for families etc.

Its a generic North American sprawlburg - could be in any city.

And they're really not great places to raise families. Most people only live in them because its the only place they can find a cheap, large house (the neverending obsession with "space" - which can also be found in the city, just for a significantly higher price).

Anyway, my ideal city (or, as close to "ideal" as possible - there can really be no single city that captures every positive aspect of other cities), thats still in the realm of reality:

Basically, the built form would resemble a mix of New York, London, and Toronto, with about 10 million people in a fairly compact (but not overly dense) area.

Culturally/socially, it'd be very ethnically diverse, and would somewhat resemble NYC of the 1980s minus the crime (i.e. a hotbed of culture & innovation - vibrant music scenes, art & graffiti, fashion, youth culture, low cost of living, that sort of thing), or I suppose the Berlin of today (likewise, vibrant arts & music, liberal, great nightlife, etc).

Climate-wise, summer temps. would get up to about 30 C, with winters being not too long and going down to about -5 C, but with lots of snow. Surrounding the city would be large hills/small mountains and lush forests, and suitably, the edges of the city would be quite hilly, and have many ravines and rivers and the like.

And I actually designed this city: :lol:

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/5540/cityt.jpg

Coloured lines are subways, which would be mostly underground, but some would consist of Chicago L-style elevated segments (mostly in the outer areas)

Thick grey lines are the freeway system, mostly consisting of elevated roadways like those that you see snaking through Tokyo.

Green area is the forested mountains surrounding the city.

A: The city's core, a Manhattan-like district with plenty of skyscraper canyons (with beautiful old art deco & gothic revival towers mixed in with elegant modern designs) and densely packed tenements, main difference would be that streets are narrower and streetcars are used for surface transit.

B: A gritty, industrial, working class area, sort of resembling Brooklyn's waterfront & central, Brownstone-filled areas, and Toronto's West End.

C: Kind of like London and inner Toronto, lots of old packed in rowhouses on pleasant, leafy streets, surrounded by vibrant mid/low-rise retail strips with streetcars interspersed with a few high-rise apartments. There would also be several modern high-rise clusters centred around major subway stations.

D: Similar to the above, but it'd be centred along a large beach, with a generally chilled-out vibe.

E: A slightly newer area, mostly early postwar suburbia-style (1940s-60s), so plenty of "commieblocks" and bungalows.

Not pictured: compact bedroom communities nearby connected to the city by commuter trains, and high-speed rail connecting it to other major cities.

Its a generic North American sprawlburg - could be in any city.

And they're really not great places to raise families. Most people only live in them because its the only place they can find a cheap, large house (the neverending obsession with "space" - which can also be found in the city, just for a significantly higher price).
It's the opposite in Dublin, if them suburbs were in ireland, they would be considered very wealthy areas and most people would love to live in them.

^I wouldn't live in one of those areas unless I had a maid to maintain my big house and helicopter to take me to the distant city centre.

Ah hell, why not...

Ideal location, around a harbour/bay, with rivers running into it, mountains and forests in the background, around 22C in summer, fairly mild in winter (but cold enough for a couple of weeks of snow)

Around the shore in the central area would be the old mercantile city (a la 17th century Amsterdam, including a few canals, mixed with Edinburgh old town) out from which would radiate a grid-iron street pattern of grand 19th century architecture, early 20th century skyscrapers and art deco edifices that put New York to shame, and soaring contemporary architecture; stone metal and glass everywhere please, no brick! From there the grid street pattern begins to flex and become less rigid as the city centre gives way to huge tenement districts (from 5-6 storeys high next to the centre to 3 storeys further out) Although the built environment would be continuous it would still be seen as many distinct neighborhoods clustered around transit stops, parks, main roads and other important landmarks.

Transport: mainly a massive yet non-fancy subway system for travelling within the city, and nice big heavy rail lines for reaching far-flung suburbs and dormitory towns in the hills (terminating in a gigantic Victorian railways terminus under an impossibly massive "barrel" roof. Otherwise walk! The city should not have any overly aggressive anti-car policy as long as parking is underground/concealed from the street and motorways are kept to the city limits.

City ought to be fairly liberal, plenty of students (but not primarily a student town) and diverse, yet not afraid of it's own heritage (i.e. 'old stuff') and should have plenty of 'wierd' industries, high and low tech, still occupying docklands. Not too bothered about population, absolute minimum of 4 million?

Ah hell, throw in a spaceport as well.

There, thats not too much to ask?

My ideal city (just a quick sketch):

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/6070/region2.jpg

C stands for commercial, or business, M stands for mixed use (between commercial and residential), R stands for residential, and I stands for industrial.

My ideal city would be somewhat of a hybrid between London, New York, Los Angeles, and mixed and matched parts of California. The main commercial area on the tip of the would be like Lower Manhattan, mostly Art-Deco with all sorts of grand architecture, like the NYSE, etc. The area to the west across the river would be like Jersey City, only denser. As you move out from the tip of the peninsula, things start to get shorter and not quite as dense. The U shaped M space would kinda be like East Sacramento (long rectangular grids with long, tree-lined streets with mid to large sized old homes. The development would follow the west river until the first bend when it goes to agricultural fields, farms, and dotted small towns every few miles. Along the east river, the development continues into the hills and mountains much like the Mulholland area in Los Angeles or Noe Valley in San Francisco. Around the lake in the north would be a small mountain town/city, and that island would have a large dam running across the river. Everything in those mountains would be dotted forest development with long, winding roads and beautiful nature settings. The tiny bay to the south would be a small beach/coastal town like Santa Cruz or San Luis Obispo, a vacation town of sorts. To the north would be a large valley of plains and grasslands where a second city center developed, like Brooklyn to New York, only further away. This city would be relatively newer, more like Los Angeles in design, only with good sprawl instead of bad, boring sprawl.

The whole region is interconnected by freeways, with a main highway running along the coastline and the west banks of the two rivers. There are numerous mountain passes like the ones you'd find in the Swiss or Italian Alps. On the peninsula, elevated rail is king, while it turns into light rail as it radiates outward and connects with the other cities' systems. The only two ways to reach the coastal town are ferry or the coastal highway.

The climate would be Mediterranean. The summers would be dry and not too hot, and the winters would be long and wet, but not numbingly cold, except in the mountains to the north where they would get snow.

That is what would be my ideal city, with absolutely none of the boring cookie-cutter sprawl/architecture you find in today's suburbs.

My ideal city would be, a large spread out metropolis, with a booming CBD, dwarfed by gleaming towers, mixed with old architecture (like London mixed with Toronto financial district) and a subway station every two blocks. Huge suburbs with subway connecting them with CBD. Zero or very little crime, clean, green buildings, no pollution, open park areas, booming nightlife. Two major football clubs with fanatic supporters and two large universities. Urban planning similar to Toronto's with wide open avenues similar to Parisian ones. And an average year round temperature of 25 degrees celcius.

well Mexico City has these: a large spread out metropolis, with many booming CBD's , gleaming towers, mixed with old architecture and a subway station every 10 blocks with subway connecting them with CBD's. green buildings, open park areas, booming nightlife. Two major football clubs with fanatic supporters and three large universities. Urban planning similar to Toronto's but in an urban way with wide open avenues (ejes viales). And an average year round temperature of 16 degrees celcius.

Urban, city, and town planning integrates land use planning and transportation planning to improve the built, economic and social environments of communities. Regional planning deals with a still larger environment, at a less detailed level.

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 !!!!

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 :D

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....

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

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.

I like the sounds of this city :)

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 ;)

I like the idea !

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

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!

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 ;)


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

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:

[QUOTE=billyandmandy;13150140]An ideal city should have such bridges:

http://www.wfu.edu/art/pc/images/pc-piranesi-bridge.jpg

such grand government buildings:

http://www.wfu.edu/art/pc/images/pc-piranesi-scale.jpg

such private harbours:

http://libweb.princeton.edu/libraries/firestone/rbsc/aids/piranesi/piranesi.jpg

and such stuff:

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-014.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-012.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-002.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-013.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-009.jpg



I really like your pictures!! Im megalomaniac too and I thing this architecture is great! I thing that ideal city should have various architecture styles from antique to last modern and future design- and theese should be divided to different architectural parts of the city....

[QUOTE=billyandmandy;13150140]An ideal city should have such bridges:

such grand government buildings:

http://www.wfu.edu/art/pc/images/pc-piranesi-scale.jpg

and such stuff:

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-014.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-002.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-009.jpg

I really like your pictures!! Im megalomaniac too and I thing this architecture is great! I thing that ideal city should have various architecture styles from antique to last modern and future design- and theese should be divided to different architectural parts of the city...



These images are within my expectation of an ideal city.

My focus would be a walkable and liveable city.

New York City is a bad example. We are too car-dependent or subway-dependent.

Our pedestrian lanes are narrow. Buildings are too vertical, lacks sheer horizontal dimensions.

In an ideal city, we should have buildings that are huge both vertically and horizontally, i.e. Large structures, that include large amount of spaces for residential, business, leisure and green spaces.

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.

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

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 :D

thats what i want... =)

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

------------
Rider Dunas Suede Mens Brown (http://bargain-shoes.worldgamingservices.com/Rider_Dunas_Suede_Mens__Brown.aspx)

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

green! the whole city built in a forest.

GREMLIN CITY xD

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

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.

An ideal city should have such bridges:

http://www.wfu.edu/art/pc/images/pc-piranesi-bridge.jpg

such grand government buildings:

http://www.wfu.edu/art/pc/images/pc-piranesi-scale.jpg

such private harbours:

http://libweb.princeton.edu/libraries/firestone/rbsc/aids/piranesi/piranesi.jpg

and such stuff:

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-014.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-012.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-002.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-013.jpg

http://www.unav.es/ha/003-ORDE/piranesi/piranesi-columnario-009.jpg



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

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!

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

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?

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.

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