Design a city in the United States from scratch.
Knowing what you now know about urban development and the external and internal features of cities, what kind of city would you design if you could start from scratch? In other words, unlike in the real world where cities are built layer upon layer of development and therefore faced with existing built form, transportation routes, available housing stock and social orders based on historical relations, you have the opportunity to start on a blank canvas with none of those pre-existing conditions. How would you do it?
Keep in mind that cities developed primarily as centers of economic exchange but due to the necessity of human labor to that process, cities have also served as sites of social exchange, in which people from all type of backgrounds and with all types of interest have lived and worked. Include in your discussion the type of social order you are hoping to achieve with your design.
Your design should be comprehensive and include descriptions of where in the US should the city be located and why? Keep in mind our earlier discussion of site and situation characteristics What overall shape will the city have and why? What relationship will your city have with other existing cities, particularly in terms of economic development?
Your design should also address the internal components of the city. You MUST address each of the following elements:
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HOUSING
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Location and type of housing for low-, middle- and high-income residents
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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What types of economic activity will exist in your city? Where will different economic activities (industrial, retail, office) be located and why?
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TRANSPORTATION
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What types of transportation will you include? How will the types interact with each other? Where will each type be routed and why?
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PUBLIC SPACES/RECREATIONAL SPACES/ COMMUNITY AMENITIES
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What kind of activities will be provided? What kinds of public space will you include and where? What kind of community meeting spaces will you provide?
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CULTURAL RESOURCES
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What kind of cultural amenities will be provided? Will you include any public art or cultural spaces? If so, what kind and where will they be located?
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SOCIAL ORDER
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What concerns do you have about the social interaction of residents and workers and how will you address those in your design? How will people be arranged in your city?
Consider elements such as the following in the course of your description of your design: housing styles, commercial/industrial building styles, private/public/commercial transportation types, location and arrangement of different activities, political jurisdictions (city/suburb), social/racial/ethnic groups, racial segregation, role of the federal government (infrastructure building, provision of public housing, funding), property values, property rights, slums, blight, displacement and anything else you think is relevant.
Submit a 3-5 page double spaced write up of your design for a city from scratch. Be sure that you address ALL of the mandatory elements. Be sure to address the questions that deal with the comprehensive, external urban form as well as those that deal with the internal and social elements. You may include a drawing or diagram but that should be in addition to the 3-5 pages of write up.
