IDEAL ICD IE TA YL C I T Y BY SHEYENNE RIVERS BY SHEYENNE RIVERS
INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION
Ideal Cities are small in size and population, sustainable and self-suf ficient. They are all located in the fertile belt of t he world so each City can grow its own food. The physical layouts are based on the ancient layout of small towns, which had a town square that was the physical and social center. In Ideal Cities the layout is radial, unless geological factors dictate otherwise. At the very heart of the Ideal City is the city green space. Surrounding the green space is a ring of shops and communal buildings, such as the library, and around that a belt of green parks with the four schools equally spaced. The next ring is the housing circle, which is where the far ming streaks begin radiating out towards the outer edge of the city. Along the very outer limits of the city are the bar ns and pastures for the animals to graze as well as the gover nment buildings and storage spaces.
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The ideals of the current culture have changed a lot compared to the previous era. People are less concer ned with consuming and care more about the quality of their lives. We now live in har mony with the planet. Like some small towns in the past people are concer ned with the well being of their neighbors. Work ethic is ingrained into the culture of today. From a young age children are expected to help with harvesting and work on the far ms. Their jobs are small, easy and fit for their age. This allows children to contribute to Ideal City and lear n important life skills. Everyone in Ideal City understands th e importance of population and that having more children than a few children is unnecessary. Safe sex is commo n knowledge and is practiced be all, eliminating unplanned pregnancies. There are many for ms of safe and ef fective birth control available. Jealousy, greed and sometimes necessity were the leading causes of violence and crime in the previous era. In Ideal City where people want for nothing but knowledge, therefore these things do not exist. There is no money is Ideal City, trading is allowed. No one is denied the necessities for life such as food and shelter.
E D U C A T I O N E D U C A T I O N Schools are hands-on and real life skills and knowledge of the world are integrated into the curriculum. They are based of f the idea of the one room schoolhouse, where all ages are in a shared lear ning space. Rather than being divided by grades, children are taught at the level they’re at. The four schools North, East, South and West are located in the second ring of Ideal City, with plenty of green space in between for lear ning, socializing and playing. Each school has dif ferent areas of lear ning and children move between them as needed. Education does not stop when children leave school. Everyone in Ideal City is encouraged to continue lear ning their entire lives. Lectures are held often by locals with a great knowledge of a particular subject. Traveling lecturers go on tours to other cities. Because people in Ideal City are always eager to share what they know and lear n something new.
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Each Ideal City has a health center, which has the equipment to deal with everything from checkups, minor injuries and s erious health concer ns. The health center is fully staf fed with at least two doctors, nurses, dentists, orthodontists, der matologists, chiropractors, acupunctures and other specialized healers. Everyone in Ideal City is healthy now that we have th e technology and knowledge to cure everything from the common cold to cancer. All health services are of course free and all healers are always on call.
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Leisure time and culture is important at Ideal City that is why every City has an indoor per for mance venue in the city center. This is a lar ge space available for any kind of event from plays and concerts to art shows and dances. In the very heart of the city there is a lar ge green space that is used as a communal gathering place. The green commons is also used for sports events as well as other outdoor events. The library is in the first ring complete with a very expansive collection of electronic books, magazines, a selection of printed books and computers, available 24/7. Art is just a part of everyday life in Ideal City. People are constantly creating. Most people know how to play several instrument s and groups of people can often be found in the center green space creating music. There is the option of the literal hand crafted method like the ones common in ancient times and more technological methods that use machines. People can mold plastic like materials int o virtually anything, create gar ments with per fectly stitched lines, make robotic and computer parts and use 3-D printers.
A G R I C U L T U R E A G R I C U L T U R E Every Ideal City has green streaks where food is raised for the town. The far ming is done naturally without synthetic pesticides or herbicides. Biodynamic techniques and rotating crops are a few of the techniques used for a healthy harvest. In biodynamic growing makes a diverse, well-balanced ecosystem within the green streaks. Ideal City use s fer mented manure, herbs and minerals to create fertile land and flavor ful nutritious food. People rotate working on the far m and everyone who is able helps with the harvest, much like in ancient times. All Ideal Cities make a surplus of food to be stored and saved. Some goes to the Group’s research teams. In the fourth ring of Ideal City is where a small number of animals are kept for milk, eggs, to create material out of their hair and bees for honey and pollination. When an animal dies of old age all parts are used. Animals are not needed as a protein source; everyone in Ideal City has a balanced diet from plants.
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There is no such thing as waste in Ideal City. Everything is either reused or when it has reached th e end of its life it is composted or recycled and rebor n as something new. Even after all this time there are still a few sorting projec ts left. Groups of people and robots sift and sort the materials left from the previous era. At this point we have discovered ways to deal with all materials in a way that is sustainable and beneficial. All Ideal Cities use solar power. Rainwater and snowmelt are collected and stored for use in the cities. W ith no pollution rainwater is once again pure. That water will be reused as grey water throughout Ideal City. This means water used for bathing and washing is used for watering plants and for toilets. Human waste and other or ganic materials, which were once discarded, are now used to create the per fect compost. Human remains are retur ned to the earth in their natural state. People remember those that have passed on with memorials in their homes.
G O V E R N M E N T G O V E R N M E N T Since each Ideal City is small there is no need for a gover nment in the traditional sense. Each Ideal City has its own local Group that keeps Ideal City running ef ficiently and maintaining transportation as well as the entire town. Everyone in Ideal city lear ns conflict resolution at a young age, so each citizen knows how to handle matters of disagreement if they should occur. There is a council, which spear heads research endeavors, gathering the greatest minds across the Cities to make new advancements for all Ideal Cities. Members are only abl e to be on the council one ter m before waiting another full ter m before reapplying.
T R A N S P O R TAT I O N T R A N S P O R TAT I O N In the city people do not own their own cars. Since the city is small everyone walks or rides a bicycle. In Ideal City there are no roads, only paths in the grass. Lar ge loads of goods are transported using hand or bicycle drawn carts. There is public transportation such as trains and buses for trips outside the city. The g over nment provides and cares for a small number of cars for citywide use. All transportation is ef ficient and does not har m the environment.
O C C U PAT I O N S O C C U PAT I O N S
Everyone’s primary job is taking care of the community by doing communal jobs such as ten ding the fields, caring for the animals and keeping Ideal City clean. There is a rotating schedule of jobs with dif ferent levels that take into many variables like age. Children do simple jobs such as collecting eggs, running errands and assisting with the harvest. Ideal City people can choose their secondary job. Some people prefer to do one specific job all of the time, like baking bread everyday for the City and others like to do many dif ferent jobs. Teaching is a very important job in Ideal City. Teachers receive special training and always strive to come up with innovative ways to teach.
ARCHITECTURE ARCHITECTURE
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Sustainability is one of the top concer ns of Ideal City, therefore building materials and new buildings are carefully considered. Every building has the highest ef ficiency possible and utilizes the natural surroundings such as sunlight and rainfall. All buildings are all built usi ng sustainable resources that will not har m the environment. The buildings are ef ficient for the climate they are in.
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There are a number of building methods available such as straw bale and eathships, which are built with reused tires that have not been recycled. At the beginning of an Ideal City everyone who needs a home gets to design there own and decide on what sort of building method they would like to use. Those well versed in architecture and engineering are available to assist and look over plans. The first step in creating a sustainable building is conservation of res ources. Everything must be ef ficient and renewable. Ins ulation is also important to building an ef ficient building. A thick foundation, well-insulated walls and roof are a few of the ways many buildings in ideal city keep a comfortable temperature with minimal heating and coolin g. Straw bale buildings and earthships are two examples of common building methods that have ex tra thick walls. Passive solar design is also widely used. This is when elements in the building like structure and layout take full advantage of the sun for war mth and light. Many roofs in Ideal City have solar panels.
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CONNECTIONS CONNECTIONS
Ideal City takes place after the collapse of civilization, as we know it. After living in temporary and unor ganized groups the small number of survivors gathered together to come up with the per fect way to live that would ensure a long lasting civilization that worked with the earth instead of against it. This book is a collection of those ideas that created the Ideal City. Richard Wo lf f describes in his book Occupying the Economy how we need to go beyond capitalism, I believe we need to go even further. We need a new way of thinking and with it a new society. I think we should take the DIY movement, mentioned in Brent Luvaas book DIY Style to the next level. In my ideal city everyone makes what they want and need on an individual level. I also agree with Stacy Mitchell’s Big Box Swindle, in Ideal City chains, big box stores do not exist.
R E F E R E N C E S R E F E R E N C E S Occupying the Economy By Richard Wolf f Big Box Swindle By Stacy Mitchell DIY Style: Fashion, Music and Global Digital Cultures B y Brent Luvass The Host By Stephenie Meyer Gattica Screenplay & Directed By Andrew Niccol Oak Valley School Dana Sawyer Earthship.com Ener gy.com Uwgb.edu 301monroe.com Biodyna mics.com
ANTHROPOLO ANTHROPOLO MAINE COLLEGE MAINE COLLEGE 4/8/13 4/8/13
G Y 22 GY OF ART OF ART