The inspiration for Sci-Fi Cities

I thought I'd start a new topic for this rather than clog up the Honorverse forum.

Since we started a discussion on the merits or otherwise of the typical Sci-Fi staple of Arcology cities, I thought I'd share two of the ideas that popped up in Britain Post WW2.

First we have the 1960 "Motopia" concept by Geoffrey Jellicoe:


http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/motopia-a-pedestrian-paradise-154650693/?no-ist

Next we have the 1945 "Bruce Plan" for redeveloping the centre of Glasgow by Robert Bruce:


http://www.bestlaidschemes.com/essays/bruce/

http://www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSE00885

May I also highlight the "Athens Charter" penned by Le Corbusier?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens_Charter

Corb has a lot to answer for - "Machines for living in" pah!!

Comment away,

Mike.

The main reason I started this thread is that I studied Architecture at University for a year and a half prior to dropping out (long story!). I guess that makes me an example of the dreaded idiot who knows a little!

Although I didn't last long enough to get learn about the intricacies of the subject, I do remember that Le Corbusier was somewhat revered.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Corbusier

Corb's synonymous with Modernism as an architectural school of thought, which in his case is embodies in the "Machines For Living In" concept I mentioned in the first post.

"A House Is A Machine For Living In

By 1918, Corbusier's ideas on how architecture should meet the demands of the machine age led him to develop, in collaboration with the artist Amédée Ozenfant, a new theory: Purism. Purist rules would lead the architect always to refine and simplify design, dispensing with ornamentation. Architecture would be as efficient as a factory assembly line. Soon, Le Corbusier was developing standardised housing 'types' like the 'Immeuble-villa' (made real with the Pavilion de l'Esprit Nouveau of 1925), and the Maison Citrohan (a play on words suggesting the building industry should adopt the methods of the mass production automobile industry), which he hoped would solve the chronic housing problems of industrialised countries.

His radical ideas were given full expression in his 1923 book Vers Une Architecture ("Towards a New Architecture"), an impassioned manifesto which is still the best-selling architecture book of all time. "A house", Le Corbusier intoned from its pages, "is a machine for living in."

But despite his love of the machine aesthetic, Le Corbusier was determined that his architecture would reintroduce nature into people's lives. Victorian cities were chaotic and dark prisons for many of their inhabitants. Le Corbusier was convinced that a rationally planned city, using the standardised housing types he had developed, could offer a healthy, humane alternative."

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/heritage/le-corbusier

If you decide to study the rise of Modernism and Brutalism, plus Corb, you might get an idea where the concept of big towers in Sci-Fi literature comes from.

Anyway, here's an image of a high rise tower block in Hong Kong:



I think this symbolises what Namelessfly means by living in a Hive!

Mike.

And here is the consequence of this ultradense urban planning, demographic implosion!

http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=hk&v=31

Historically; cities have always been population sinks. People are born and raised in the small villages and on the farms, then go to the cities in search of wealth and comfort at the probable cost of dying childless.

Michael Riddell wrote:The main reason I started this thread is that I studied Architecture at University for a year and a half prior to dropping out (long story!). I guess that makes me an example of the dreaded idiot who knows a little!

Although I didn't last long enough to get learn about the intricacies of the subject, I do remember that Le Corbusier was somewhat revered.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Corbusier

Corb's synonymous with Modernism as an architectural school of thought, which in his case is embodies in the "Machines For Living In" concept I mentioned in the first post.

"A House Is A Machine For Living In

By 1918, Corbusier's ideas on how architecture should meet the demands of the machine age led him to develop, in collaboration with the artist Amédée Ozenfant, a new theory: Purism. Purist rules would lead the architect always to refine and simplify design, dispensing with ornamentation. Architecture would be as efficient as a factory assembly line. Soon, Le Corbusier was developing standardised housing 'types' like the 'Immeuble-villa' (made real with the Pavilion de l'Esprit Nouveau of 1925), and the Maison Citrohan (a play on words suggesting the building industry should adopt the methods of the mass production automobile industry), which he hoped would solve the chronic housing problems of industrialised countries.

His radical ideas were given full expression in his 1923 book Vers Une Architecture ("Towards a New Architecture"), an impassioned manifesto which is still the best-selling architecture book of all time. "A house", Le Corbusier intoned from its pages, "is a machine for living in."

But despite his love of the machine aesthetic, Le Corbusier was determined that his architecture would reintroduce nature into people's lives. Victorian cities were chaotic and dark prisons for many of their inhabitants. Le Corbusier was convinced that a rationally planned city, using the standardised housing types he had developed, could offer a healthy, humane alternative."

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/heritage/le-corbusier

If you decide to study the rise of Modernism and Brutalism, plus Corb, you might get an idea where the concept of big towers in Sci-Fi literature comes from.

Anyway, here's an image of a high rise tower block in Hong Kong:



I think this symbolises what Namelessfly means by living in a Hive!

Mike.

namelessfly wrote:And here is the consequence of this ultradense urban planning, demographic implosion!

http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=hk&v=31

Historically; cities have always been population sinks. People are born and raised in the small villages and on the farms, then go to the cities in search of wealth and comfort at the probable cost of dying childless.

Or in the nineteenth century, bred like rabbits but very few children survived to adulthood.

Mike.

Michael Riddell wrote:

namelessfly wrote:And here is the consequence of this ultradense urban planning, demographic implosion!

http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=hk&v=31

Historically; cities have always been population sinks. People are born and raised in the small villages and on the farms, then go to the cities in search of wealth and comfort at the probable cost of dying childless.

Or in the nineteenth century, bred like rabbits but very few children survived to adulthood.

Mike.

People in the Americas, Australia and parts of Europe were breeding well above replacement level during the 19th century, but they were not" breeding like rabbits.". Their populations were growing because infant and child mortality rates were far lower than in previous centuries.

Countries such as Hong Kong with TFRs of about one child per woman can expect massive population contraction of about 1/2 per generation which is comparable to Europe during the Black Plague.

The urban "hypercity" trope seems to have been around for a long time (Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" embodied it in the silent movie era), but I think the modern version comes from Paolo Soleri, who's book "Arcology: The City in the Image of Man" presented the vision of largely self contained structures housing entire urban ecosystems.

To date no true Arcologies have been built, and it would be interesting to contemplate what it would take to actually "close the loop" and make an urban ecosystem.

Thucydides wrote:To date no true Arcologies have been built, and it would be interesting to contemplate what it would take to actually "close the loop" and make an urban ecosystem.

The Japanese have come up with a concept for a proper arcology, but they haven't built it as the materials for it to really work haven't been invented yet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimizu_Mega-City_Pyramid

If classic Sci-Fi type towers are going to appear anywhere, I'd say East Asia is a good bet.

Mike.

And then there are the ever popular underwater cities.

Or perhaps underground cities?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_City,_Montreal

Or floating cities.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Ship

biochem wrote:Or perhaps underground cities?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_City,_Montreal