SAPUAY, GRACE PENAFLOR PLAN 201 ID # 197826607

JULY 13, 2011 HOMEWORK #1

BIOPOLIS: MY VIEW OF A CITY

When I hear the word city, it conjures images of towering skyscrapers and high rise condominium buildings, all arranged neatly together in one area; it also conjures images of crowds performing their daily activities, people rushing to various destinations in various modes of transport, such as cars, buses, trains, and other transport contraptions; bright lights at night, noisy bars with blaring music and raucous laughter from its occupants, are among the things that come to my mind. Is this really a city? Or is it just a place of overcrowded inhabitants all wanting to belong to a social clique? Tracing the origin of cities from the ancient times to the present, Lewis (1961) suggested that the settlements of the Palaeolithic past which had further evolved in the Mesolithic age had come to have better shapes during the Neolithic era. As such, he suggested that a blending of all the characteristics of the settlements, such as having a number of people with a sedentary culture, which has evolved to become bigger settlements due to what he calls sexual revolution, which has created settlements with more people and increased demand for products other than agricultural, and created activities with improved functions which have diverged from the agricultural focus of economic activity to a non-agricultural form, had created societies that need leaders. He suggested that the institutionalization of kingship was the one that had created the shape of settlements that came to be called as cities. Thus, he described a city as a structure specially equipped to store and transmit the goods of civilization, sufficiently condensed to afford maximum amount of facilities in a minimum space but also capable of structural enlargement to enable it to find a place for changing needs and the more complex 1

forms of a growing society and its accumulative social heritage. Such a complex definition of a city makes a lot of sense and can be truly applied in the modern setting rather than the ancient histories. However, the precursor of modern day cities were those in the age of medieval kingdoms, wherein settlements were fortified by building walls around them to protect the kingdoms from marauding enemies, whether humans or animals, as well as to segregate the elitist city dwellers from inhabitants of other places. Such fortification of cities can be seen from old cities such as Beijing (China), which is fortified by the Great Wall, Intramuros (Manila), Istanbul, Iznik (formerly Nicea) and Ankara (Turkey), Baku (Azerbaijan), Chiang Mai (Thailand), and other similar kingdoms which have survived the onslaught of wars, weathering and erosion, vandalism and modernisation. Although the chronicles of various travellers such as Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Bernal Diaz Del Castillo, and Albrecht Durer did not say anything about walled cities, because their visits were, perhaps done at a time when the cities have already spilled outside of the walls of the cities I have mentioned, either as a result of evolution, revolution, modernisation or population explosion. One of the stunning characteristics of all the cities mentioned is the number of people inhabiting or visiting those cities for trade purposes. My idea of a city as a highly populated area is, therefore, validated by these chronicles. My city is thus, first of all, a place inhabited by many people whose lives are dictated by the economy of the place that they inhabit. It would not exactly be a place to be celebrated nor is it a crime-ridden place but something else with a little bit of both. The city I have in mind is one that is alive like an organism, a living, breathing entity capable of growing and regenerating. It would be devoid of the filth and disarray characteristic of the industrial city of Manchester being described by Engels (1845), and where some streets are so narrow that only permits one person at a time. No, that kind of place would be too constricting that it leaves one to wonder whether people who live in such a place have not much choice in their lives as to stay there. 2

This city, which is like a living organism, would not only be healthy and vibrant but also possess a soul. It will possess the best positive traits with some of the accompanying negative attributes but would have the capacity to redeem itself. This city would attract inhabitants, which are not merely dreamers but people who would strive to do their best to keep the city in order, alive and pulsating. Its head would be the government centre, which would be situated somewhere around the middle of the city, surrounded by a lush garden with shady trees aligned neatly along its avenues as to provide shade and fresh air and invigorate the people working in it. Situated farther would be the heart of the city, which is the central business district, with all its commerce and technology, working side by side. This business area would contain buildings that would house the offices of various companies that are engaged in keeping the economy of the city going. This would serve as the bloodstream, which would keep the city alive. This district would also have tree-lined boulevards as well as floral gardens in the frontage of every building so as to create an atmosphere which pleases the eyes and tranquilizes the spirit of those workers who are hard at work on their chosen businesses. The main thoroughfares of the central business district, serving as the major veins and arteries of the city, would be about ten (10) meters wide on either side, but would have a pedestrian street in every other street to provide a place where the citizens could walk safely to their destinations without the hassle of having to dodge every transport contraption along the way. These pedestrian streets will be neatly lined with shops of fine merchandise and other goods that the people will need for their daily living as well as other things that they would want to suit the caprice of their lifestyles. There would be parks with trees and gardens which will renew the air quality and reinvigorate the city. The parks would be well-lighted at night so as to prevent evil forces from lurking in the darkness when the sun goes down. Like a living organism, these parks would serve as the lung of the city, providing a breathing apparatus which would help the city maintain a clean atmosphere. 3

Universities and other such institutions may be located on all sides of the city so that the residents can have access to these places of learning on any side of the city. Like an organism that is mobile, these institutions will serve as the limbs with which the city will move towards the future. These institutions will have their own share of lawns and greeneries so as to provide students and teachers alike, places with which to relax their minds and spirit and to make the area conducive to academic endeavours. Similar to a living organism that has a circulatory system, the road networks in the city provide the necessary linkages and accessibility within and outside the city. For an efficient circulation all roads of the city should be neat and properly paved so as to make driving smooth and easy. Intersections or nodes would consist of roundabouts so as to keep the circulation of the traffic going but with pedestrian underpasses with which those on foot could easily and safely use to cross the avenues and not hinder the circulation of the traffic. The roads would have wide sidewalks; about three (3) meters in width, with bikeways to encourage those who wish to ride their bikes to school, work or shopping places at the same time reducing the use of fossil fuel-guzzling vehicles. These would serve as the vital organs (Jacobs, 1961) necessary to keep the city a fully functioning organism. Sidewalks should serve not just fringes of the blocks, but also where the people can converge and walk securely. But like any living being, vital organs must not be clogged with itinerant vendors who ply their wares, almost harassing pedestrians, whose object is not to go shopping but to proceed to their destinations in mind. The residential district could either be gated subdivisions, for all classes of the society, which are situated on the further ends of the city, where the noise and traffic will be less so as to give the residents a respite from the hustle and bustle of their daily grind and provide a place where they could spend time with their families in peace; or they could be high-rise condominiums or buildings situated in the city centre so as to provide residence to those who wish to live near their workplaces. Subdivisions that are located away from the city centre must 4

have some kind of commerce at its fringes, such as small convenience shops, and neat grocery stores, as well as some establishments providing services to the needs of the residents, whose urgent needs for basic necessities might find it cumbersome to travel to the city centre just to avail them. These areas would have ample sidewalks and parking spaces at their frontage so as not to crowd the streets of parked cars. In much the same way, condominium buildings in the city centre can have commercial establishments at the base to provide the residents with places to shop, restaurants to eat at when they want to have a break from cooking or where they can meet and converge for various purposes. The city would have monuments or cultural heritage sites which would be the soul and which would provide the inhabitants something in the past to remember and connect them with their present as well as their future. Plazas will not be a thing of the past in the city. Rather, plazas would be areas for accommodating various activities for public use. These will be places where people can have various kinds of entertainments, fairs, and other activities related to arts, culture and other such activities. Churches or places of worship are always part of the peoples lives, and as such, they would have to be situated in every place where people need time to worship and to reflect on their spiritual nature. These may be located within the subdivisions as well as in the city centre. Hospitals would have to be built with wide parking spaces and surrounded by mini-parks. They may either be situated within the city centre or near the edges of the urban area closer to the residential areas so that the residents can have quick and easy access to emergency medical care in times of need.

As a living organism consumes and discharges waste in the process of metabolism, in the same way, the city with its inhabitants consumes resources and converts them into waste materials, which have to be discharged. Liquid wastes would be treated in a fully functioning wastewater and sewerage system prior to discharge to prevent the poisoning of the rivers and other bodies of water within the city. All solid wastes would be segregated to minimize the residual waste that would be thrown in its own solid waste facility. Non-toxic components of solid waste would either be incorporated in building materials or kept in a facility using technology that can be adopted for the purposes of the city. Hills and mountains within the city would be preserved so that trees and wildlife would be allowed to flourish in order to preserve the watershed and control erosion of their slopes as well as to create sceneries and ecotourism sites. It would not have any man-made structure except those that are necessary for the sustenance of the city such as a water supply facility. Also, riverbanks would have no buildings or permanent structures but green parks so that everyone may have access to the scenery along the rivers. These areas shall serve as the other lung of the city so that, like a living being, will continue to breathe efficiently. All of the above will be the primary components of the city I have in mind. Like an organism, it would remain alive and vibrant as long as its parts are healthily functioning. Proper implementation of policies to maintain efficiency of operation and peace and order will serve as the food and nutrients that will nourish the entire body of the city. It will be something which will have some of the characteristics of Jane Jacobs (1961) city such as the concentration of businesses and other establishments, and residential areas in one place, which will be within the heart of the city. At the same time, there will be a lot of space for parks and green areas that would act as lungs or carbon sinks for the emissions of cars and buses, enabling the city to breathe clean fresh air. It will also provide a choice for the citizenry 6

whether to stay in the crowded centre or move in the outskirts, away from the hectic life of the city after their work is done. This way, the city, as a living organism, will remain in good health. I will name this city Biopolis, from two Greek words bios, which means life, and polis, which means city, to describe a city which is environmentally healthy and life sustaining.

REFERENCES: Engles, Friedrich. (1844) The Great Towns in The City Reader, Routledge, pp 58-66 Jacobs, Jane. (1961) The Uses of Sidewalks: Safety in The Death and Life of American Cities, U.S.A., pp. 114-118 Jacobs, Jane. (1961) The Need for Concentration in The Death and Life of American Cities, U.S.A., pp. 200-205 M. Polo, I. Battuta, B. Diaz, A. Durer. First Person Accounts of the Great Cities of the Medieval and Early Modern World, in The City Reader, Routledge 2003, pp. 49-57 Mumford, Lewis. (1961) the Crystalllization of the City: The First Urban Transformation in Classic Readings in Urban Regional Planning, edited by Jay Stein, 2nd Ed., Chicago, 2004, pp. 3-7