oasis report

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ENBE * FINAL PROJECT * PART A – REPORT * THE FUTURE CITY REPRESENTATION

CHIA SUE HWA * 0317920 * GROUP D * FNBE FEB 2014 * TAYLOR’S UNIVERSITY

BETTER CITIES OF THE FUTURE

The

NAME : CHIA SUE HWA

ID : 0317920INTAKE : FNBE 02214TUTOR : MS DELLIYA

ZAIN

Your Green Haven

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CONTENTS

a. The starting line

b. A City : Ground Rules + analysis

c. Case Studies

Ancient city – Memphis, egypt

Present city – Solarcity, Austria

Future city – food city, dubai

D. Cities on water

E. X-City : The Oasis

My Role as ‘Mayor’

A Conceptual Overview

The Zoning

Systems and Working Principles

All in One

A Haven

F. The Final Inference

G. References


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a. The Starting Line

Date and Time : 27th March 2014 at 8a.m.Subject : Elements of Natural and Built Environment

Lecture : Shelter for InhabitationLecturer : Ms Delliya Zain

*Final Project Brief Released* - Better Cities of the Future

On the 27th of March during our weekly lecture, Ms Delliya Zain, the lecturer in charge for Elements of Natural and Built Environment (ENBE) released our second and final project brief :• Grouping (in groups of 5 students)• Introductory video• Brief explanation of project brief• Display of senior’s previous works

After the first ENBE project, all our course mates shared mixed feelings of anticipation and excitement for this upcoming one. We had long ago predicted that this second project will require even more hard work and teamwork, and the content of the project brief proved us right. As a short overview, this project’s aim is to question, analyse and articulate the impact between the natural and built environment, by studying cities in detail, and to eventually design and plan for a better one. As explained, cities are very much urban living creatures in the natural environment.

Basically, each student will be assessed individually and through group work as well. Individually, we will have to present our city through a short video and a typed report. The city with the most buildable and best design in each group will be chosen. Next, each group is required to build an actual representation model of the chosen city and to prepare a maximum number of 4 presentation boards as the city plan.

Attached is a few screenshot photos of the introductory video, including the link. Attached behind the is a copy of the project brief.

Video link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akLVMlyGLZM


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b. A city : ground rules + analysis [ what? ]

A city can be defined as a place where people live that is larger or more important than a town : an area where many people live and work or an inhabited place of greater size, population, or importance than a town or village, according to the online Merriam-Webster. [ a brief history ]

The building of cities has a long and complex history. Although city planning as an organized profession has existed for less than a century, all cities display various degrees of forethought and conscious design in their layout and functioning.Early humans led a nomadic existence, relying on hunting and gathering for sustenance. Between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago, systematic cultivation of plants and the domestication of animals allowed for more permanent settlements.

Cities exist for many reasons, and the diversity of urban forms can be traced to the complex functions that cities perform. Cities serve as centres of storage, trade, and manufacture. The agricultural surplus from the surrounding countryside is processed and distributed in cities besides growing up around marketplaces. Throughout history, cities have been founded at the intersections of transportation routes, and even at river and ocean ports.

Religious elements have been crucial throughout urban history. Ancient peoples had sacred places, often associated with cemeteries or shrines, around which cities grew.

Cities often provide protection in a precarious world. During attacks, the rural populace could flee behind city walls, where defence forces assembled to repel the enemy. The wall served this purpose for millennia, until the invention of heavy artillery.

Cities serve as centres of government. In particular, the emergence of the great nation-states of Europe between 1400 and 1800 led to the creation of new capital cities or the investing of existing cities with expanded governmental functions.

Cities, with their concentration of talent, mixture of peoples, and economic surplus, have provided a fertile ground for the evolution of human culture: the arts, scientific research, and technical innovation. They serve as centres of communication, where new ideas and information are spread to the surrounding territory and to foreign lands.

+The

masterplan of Larimer

neighbourhood, Pittsburgh.


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[ what makes a city ]

• Efficient electrical, water and food supplies• Proper infrastructure such as sewage and electrical management and

public facilities• Organised and effective city zoning • Public transport system and road system• Areas such as monuments and squares that represent the identity of the

city

[ a good city ]

What is the good city?

A vital city successfully fulfils the biological needs of its inhabitants, and provides a safe environment for their activities. A sensible city is organized so that its residents can perceive and understand the city's form and function. A city with good fit provides the buildings, spaces, and networks required for its residents to pursue their projects successfully. An accessible city allows people of all ages and background to gain the activities, resources, services, and information that they need. A city with good control is arranged so that its citizens have a say in the management of the spaces in which they work and reside.

Finally, an efficient city achieves the goals listed above at the least cost, and balances the achievement of the goals with one another. They cannot all be maximized at the same time. And a just city distributes benefits among its citizens according to some fair standard.

These criteria tell aspiring city builders where to aim, while acknowledging the diverse ways of achieving good city form. Cities are endlessly fascinating because each is unique, the product of decades, centuries, or even millennia of historical evolution. In theory, we should be able to learn the lessons of history and build cities that our descendants will admire and wish to preserve.

[ the future city ]

+ solutions for future cities


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[ lastly, ]

No matter how you define a city, however, there is agreement that cities play an important role in all our lives today and in the years ahead. After the industrial revolution, urban centers grew rapidly and over the past 50 years there has been an "explosion" in the growth of cities, both in their numbers and in their size -- this is called "urbanization". Today, the most rapid urbanization is taking place in countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Cities have always been at the center of economic growth, technological advances and cultural production. But their rapid growth has also brought negative things: urban violence and poverty, homelessness, overcrowding and health problems, pollution and waste.

+ An infographic on elements of a city.

“To change life, we must first change space” —Henri Lefebvre, French writer, philosopher

and educator


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c. Case studies Ancient city - Memphis,

Egypt

+“Greetings, oh Nile, who springs from

the earth and gives

Egypt nourishment.

”

[ history ]

Memphis was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an important city throughout ancient Mediterranean history. It occupied a strategic position at the mouth of the Nile delta, and was home to feverish activity. Its principal port, Peru-nefer, harboured a high density of workshops, factories, and warehouses that distributed food and merchandise throughout the ancient kingdom. During its golden age, Memphis thrived as a regional centre for commerce, trade, and religion. The city fell when it lost favour with Alexandria, a main capital of Egypt, besides the emergence of Christianity.[ significance]

The Egyptians took advantage of the natural cyclical flooding pattern of the Nile. Because this flooding happened fairly predictably, the Egyptians were able to develop their agricultural practices around it. The water levels of the river would rise in August and September, leaving the floodplain and delta submerged by 1.5 meters of water at the peak of flooding. This yearly flooding of the river was known as inundation. As the floodwaters receded in October, farmers were left with well watered and fertile soil in which to plant their crops.

*Agronomy - the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, fibre, and land reclamation.

*Irrigation - Natural river irrigation shaped the early landscape of ancient Egypt. Drainage was not required for the Valley to become liveable. Organized by regional authorities, every Egyptian had to move about thirty cubic metres of soil in about ten days every year. The building of dams at right angles to the flow of the Nile, separating the Nile Valley into basins. The river water was diverted into canals on either side of the Nile. CHIA SUE HWA * 0317920 * GROUP D * FNBE FEB 2014 * TAYLOR’S

UNIVERSITY

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*Ploughing and Planting - In most countries heavy ploughs have to be used to turn over the soil, so that the growing plants get enough nutrients, but in Egypt the Nile flood deposited the nutrients on top, and the ploughing served just to break up the top soil before sowing or for covering the seed afterwards.

*Harvest - The total amount of grain harvested depended on the surface covered by the flooding Nile. the annual amount of grain [11] produced was approximately between 1.5 and 2.5 million tons

*Crops – such as emmer, flax, papyrus reeds, castor oil plant, vegetables and fruits.

*Horticulture - Gardening was much more labour intensive than agriculture. Gardens, orchards, and vineyards were often on high ground and quite a distance from the Nile. They had to be irrigated by hand with the water drawn from wells or the river.

+ One of the great capital cities of Ancient Egypt,

Memphis stands before the formation

of the Nile Delta.

[ the learning point]

• Agronomy for urban agriculture.• To generate food as a resource and a

foundation to develop the city from the ground up.

• Develop as a trading hub as a floating city on water.

• To incorporate a constant source of flowing water in the city as its backbone, such as a river or waterfront (inspired by the Nile River)

• Inundation to fertilize soil for crops.• A self-governed and stand-alone city

with its own ruling government.

+ Egyptian

agriculture[lastly,]

The civilization of ancient Egypt was indebted to the Nile River and its dependable seasonal flooding. The river’s predictability and the fertile soil allows the Egyptians to build an empire on the basis of great agricultural wealth. Egyptians are credited as being one of the first groups of people to practice agriculture on a large scale. This was possible because of the ingenuity of the Egyptians as they developed basin irrigation


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Present City – SolarCity, Austria

[history]

This neighbourhood built in Linz Austria has been heralded as an urban development project which has managed to address three aspects of sustainability: economic growth; ecological balance; and, social progress. Its planning started in 1992, through the development of a regional concept plan and master plan. The catalysts for its development were to address the high demand for housing in the region, particularly from low and middle income earners, and respond to the ecological global challenges of our planet. The Provincial Capital of Linz also identified that there were many jobs in their city but not enough people - they therefore had a large number of people working from outside their city limits and wanted to reduce the traffic demand associated with this. In 1994 construction started in association with a number of non-profit residential construction organisations. It is now home to over 3,000 residents.

“Located in the City

of Linz. Linz = Life.”

[significance]

• Mixture of land uses – schools, childcare, local shopping, social and cultural facilities, halls and function rooms, restaurants and residencies

• A key access boulevard forming the functional and spatial link of the neighbourhood, combined with a centre square creating the focal point

• Ecological advances through energy savings in production, operation and recycling

• Open space – includes an extensive lake system, landscaped parks and nature reservation areas. A key challenge was to balance access to attractive open space with protecting the natural landscape of alluvial forests along the Traun River. The development provided a landscape park as a filter between the two as well as nature trails through the nature reserve which allows public access whilst subtly controlling access to this environment

• Comprehensive use of solar energy through design of buildings and houses, solar panels and building orientation


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• Extensive strategies for drainage and sanitation involving re-use of all by-products and storm water runoff

• Transport system which aims to keep residential areas as free of motor vehicles as possible by providing maximum priority to pedestrian and cyclists and funnelling traffic along the boulevard into underground car parking. The plan also included extending the tram line from Linz (and consequent connections to a more regional rail line) into the development and provision of a local bus system provided within solarCity

• A central office coordinates the entire operational process, which is handled by five project groups.

+ Tram as a main public

transport

[the learning point]

• Urban nodes as centrals – walker friendly

• Solar architecture to minimise ecological footprint

• Rainwater absorption for water recycling

• Urine separation technology for agricultural uses

• Public, interactive, green spaces that are close to nature

• Public transport as the main transportation system. Integrated road systems, bike, tram pathways

• Urban and purposeful architectural design of buildings and structures

• Municipality that involves community work and to determine needs and interests of residents

+A residential

housing development in

the Solarcity

[Lastly, ]

In building the SolarCity, which was subsidized by the EU and the province of Upper Austria and designed by internationally recognized architects, the Provincial Capital of Linz has realized an urban development project that has attracted a great deal of notice. The three pillars of sustainability, namely economic growth, ecological balance and social progress, were equally and simultaneously taken into account. This succeeded only due to the exemplary cooperation of all concerned.

+Side profile view of the

solar powered city


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Future city – food city, Dubai

[significance]

• Urban planning ideas e.g. vertically stacked landscape surfaces, artificial roof landscapes, renewable energy systems, aquatic farms and thermal conditioning

• Energy saving initiatives e.g. concentrated solar collectors, towers covered in thin-film photovoltaic cells, piezoelectric pads in pedestrian areas, and methane harvesting through sewage percolation tanks

• Water conservation e.g. atmospheric water harvesting, solar desalination through concentrated solar collectors, grey water recycling, and application of hydroponic sand to minimize water loss

“Off-the-grid, self-sufficient

metropolis.”

[history]

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce authorized the development of a “free zone” dubbed Food City. GCLA, a green landscape architect firm, proposed a master plan for the city sector to turn it into an incredible off-the-grid, self-sufficient metropolis. GCLA’s future-forward urban quarter incorporates an extensive list of sustainable urban planning ideas. GCLA has described their proposal for Food City as the “the marriage of landscapes and urbanism“. Their project integrates a variety of proposals to decrease overall energy use. GCLA has described their proposal for Food City as the “the marriage of landscapes and urbanism“. Their project integrates a variety of proposals to decrease overall energy use.Essentially, GCLA’s vision is an amalgamation of nearly every urban sustainability initiative in the past few years. It’s certainly utopian, but it may ultimately prove necessary.

+ Plan of Food

City


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[the learning point]

• Food and agriculture as the main development and concept

• Self-sufficient and independent

• The city as a ‘free zone’ -an area adjoining a port where goods that are intended for reshipment can be received and stored without payment of duties

• A centralised layout and zoning of city (as seen from plan)

+ a perspective view of Food City

+ a side view of the city’s built structures

• Use of urban planning principles, solar architecture and green technology to increase efficiency

• Implementation of arcology – a mix of architecture and ecology for city planning

• Solar energy as the source of power and electricity for the city

[lastly,]

Gulf News writes that Dubai Food City will build up Dubai’s local food sector, and improve the United Arab Emirates’ food security (U.A.E. currently imports over 90 percent of its food). Food City will be a five million square-foot “self-contained development, aimed at wholesale food merchants,” and will be able to hold 400-500 food companies.


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d. Cities on waterFor this final project, each group (5 students per group) had to make a

decision to choose one amongst these five options to base their individual and group work on.• An underground city• An underwater city• A floating on water city• A city in the air • A city on land (next to a river/sea)

After a brief discussion, my group decided almost instantly to select the most flexible type on city : one that is floating on water.

+ A few future floating-on-water cities proposals

Reasons to why a floating-on-water city is the best solution to our current environmental problems:• Mobile. A floating city has the option to sail in the seas and lakes, or

just to remain stationary in the water, just like an island.• Convenient resources. Surrounded by water, a vital element for a

city’s survival is readily available. With the right technologies, water can be used to a city’s advantage in the domestic, agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors.

• Interesting and refreshing. Reason being, floating cities don’t exist yet, thus, the idea excited our group members to produce something amazing and never before seen. A floating-on-water city could also make for a great model representation later during the group part of the project.

+ A few other types of future cities proposals


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d. X-city : the oasis My role as ‘mayor’

“28 November 2011 – Global food production is being undermined by land degradation and shortages of farmland and water resources, making feeding the world’s rising population – projected to reach nine billion by 2050 – a daunting challenge, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO ) said in a report unveiled today.” – UN News Centre

“Everywhere, everyday we are reminded of the planetary crisis. Ice caps melt, forests are decimated, species go extinct and extreme climatic changes threaten the survival of human civilization. We desperately need a new narrative – a compelling vision of sustainability where we get a happily-ever-after ending. But where are we now? In the crazed pursuit of financial and material progress, Gross Domestic Product has grown exponentially. But to be sure, the Gross Depletion of the Planet is also at an all time high.” – Student Pulse

“Everywhere I turn to, I see never-ending effects of what we humans ourselves have caused. Year by year, my gravest fears are confirmed. Cutting across food security, poverty, climate change and human rights, I am addressing land degradation and biodiversity loss. A vision of small-scale, inclusive and ecologically sound agriculture promises to lift the world out of poverty, inequality and hunger. Now, we only need the courage to stand against the intransigent guardians of the status quo. In the words of anthropologist Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." And so, we must.”

-Me, speaking as the Mayor of the X-City. The city that stands in the front-line of environmental threat.

+ Land degradation and desertification

+ Rising sea levels, an effect of global

warming

+Overpopulation in China

+ Concrete jungle in

Kathmandu, Nepal


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The Oasis. Your Green Haven.

+ The Oasis logo

+ Perspective views of the

Oasis

+ Aerial plan of the city

City: The Oasis

Where: The Gulf of Oman

Population: 300,000

Size: 40km2Status:

AgriculturalGoverned:

Municipality


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Sufficient research and analysis had introduced many new concepts and ideas for the foundation of a city to me. Taking inspirations from my previous research on past, present and future cities, implementations of the current concepts have contributed to my train of thought in creating my new city.

+ Memphis, Egypt. The river as the

life source of the city

+ Solarcity, Austria. Green

and sustainable

city planning.

+ Food City, Dubai. A ‘free-zone’ and self-

sufficient in agricultural

means. Utilizes green and

sustainable technologies as

well.

My city will • Be

agricultural• Agronomical• Depend on

surrounding water source

• Be founded on sustainable and green principles and technologies

• A municipality -an urban administrative division having powers of self-government or jurisdiction


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The zoning

+ Colour-coded plan of

the Oasis

- The Reservoir, main canals and sub canals- The Radius I/the commercial hub and ports- The Radius II/residential area- The Radius III/desalination, sector management and crop

checkpoints- The Sectors/agricultural land- Main roadways - Surrounding dry land, the coast of Muscat, Oman- Wind turbines and control centres


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[ ELABORATION ]

The Reservoir and canals – a circular lake in the middle of the city. Collects seawater from the main canals for city use in agriculture, domestic and industrial needs through seawater farming and desalination technologies. Trade and transportation ships and ferries also use the canal to enter and exit the city. Transportation ferries also travel around the island using the sub canals branching out from the Reservoir.

The Radius I – the commercial hub and ports area. Schools, the central medical centre, religious area, open green space, and recreational spaces are also located here. These facilities are placed near the residential radius for easy accessibility. The ports extend out to the Reservoir and also accommodate parked trading and transportation ships and ferries.

The Radius II – the residential area. Consists of 6 types of housing developments, each with its own designated ownership class, such as for white-collared workers and blue-collared workers. All are urban high-rise apartment blocks to save land space and for panoramic view of the Reservoir and agricultural sectors. All the residential units are built according to the principles of solar architecture.

The Radius III – the desalination plant, sector management, and crop checkpoints. Seawater is treated into freshwater for daily consumption using the latest desalination technologies in plants. The oval-shaped zone is the middle is the sector management, which manages the respective sector while communicating and coordinating with other sector managements, besides being a main transit and resting station for trams and vehicles. Tram and roadways connect all the three Radii, and also with the agricultural sectors.

The Sectors – green patches of agricultural land. Each of the six sectors are designated for a certain type of crop each. Clockwise from the frontal canal : Annual crops, flowers, fruits, cash crops, seasonings, and biannual crops. Each sector has its own portion of Radius III and a main road for transportation

Main roadways – Paved roads that connects the Radii with the Sectors. Sub roadways branch out from here, leading further into all parts of the city for better circulation.

Coast of Muscat – The city is partially surrounded and even slightly made out of the dry lands of Muscat. This provides easy access to land in case of emergencies, and for trading purposes. Also a link for the daily Farmer’s Market and other activities.

Wind turbines and control centres – Generates power for the city. Its built-in broad bases are also the electrical, waste, and water management department bases.

+ Why agricultural? A constant source of energy for the city in terms of a secure access to nutritious food and also in by means of income through trading activities. Food production, marketing, and transportation, as well

as the sustainable management of natural resources will be able to eradicate poverty and unemployment, besides strengthening urban-rural linkages. In short, agriculture is Oasis’s route to successful development.


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Systems and Working principles

[AGRICULTURE]

o Seawater farming technique

Climate change, together with rising world populations and unsustainable farming practices, are causing the exhaustion of fresh water and food resources. The necessity for both is expected to exceed availability in the foreseeable future. It is the simple reality of this situation which gave rise to the Seawater Greenhouse. This provides a low-cost solution by enabling year-round crop production in some of the world’s hottest and driest regions. It does this using seawater and sunlight. The technology imitates natural processes, helping to restore the environment while significantly reducing the operating costs of greenhouse horticulture.

+ A drawing I

did depicting

the agricultura

l technolog

y

+ A seawater greenhouse in Oman, helping to reclaim abandoned agricultural land where soil and water salinity have reached levels at which crop production is not viable. Benefits:• Freshwater production: The fresh

water produced is pure and distilled from seawater, with no need for chemical treatment.

• Salt and mineral production: Salt gained in the process can be sold and other minerals used as crop nutrients.

o 6 sectorsTo maximize productivity and for easier management, 6 sectors consisting of 6 different agricultural crops are farmed in the city. These are fruits, flowers, cash crops, annuals, perennials, and seasonings.

+ Close zoning

view of a sector Irrigation

canal

Farming land

Desalination plants

Sector management

Crop checkpoints

+ Crops are also irrigated through inundation by the city’s canal / irrigation system.


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[ Transportation System]

Besides walking by foot, public transportation in the Oasis accounts for 80 to 90 percent of citizen mobility. • Reduces traffic congestion and air pollution• Increases efficiency• Saves cost and production of cars• Sustainable and rationalThe two types of public transportation in the Oasis are trams and ferries.

o Flow of food through the Urban Farmer’s Market

Located on dry land on the Muscat coast on both sides of the city, this is the step in delivering safe nutritious food from the field to the urban consumer: the production, processing and marketing, are all interlinked and should mutually strengthen each other. The Farmer’s Market is a crucial input and output of food source generated through agricultural activities. • A smart outlet to exchange fresh,

nutritious food• Important anchors for vibrant communities.

Social activity and integration for a mature community is key.

• Integrates Oasis citizens with citizens from other cities

+ A marketplace planning concept.

Hollywood Farmer’s Market in Los

Angeles.

o Roadways

Used for daily travel. Trams, bicycles, vehicles, cargo vehicles share the same roadways around the city. This system is efficient for travelling back and forth from the Sectors and the Radii. Main roads also lead straight from the Radii to the coastland. Checkpoints in the Sectors also act as resting stops.

+ Road mapping of Oasis.

+ A circular subway map design proposal for NYC


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Citizens also travel by foot from their residential areas to their local sector’s facilities which is combined with Radius I. This area is a encouraged pedestrian zone. Reducing the carbon footprint for a cleaner and sustainable city is vital. Thus, the use of electricity-powered trams, bicycles and travelling by foot plus a minimised usage of cars is encouraged.

+ The roads are well-planned and distributed to accommodate pedestrians, bicycles, cars and trams

o Canals

A built-in, natural feature of Oasis is the ferry transportation system for citizens and also goods and cargo. From the seas, outsider ships can enter and exit using the two main canals into the Reservoir and towards the ports. Sub canals leading outwards from the Reservoir and two other circular canals around the city provide good coverage for water vehicles. Also serves as irrigation river for crops.

The Rideshare programme is also an initiative by the transportation department of Oasis for free-flowing and efficient roads. Two people or more can work out their own agreements on who drives and how often, schedules and cost sharing through an online forum.

+ The canal mapping plan

+ Solar Sailor ferries run on multiple sources of power including solar, wind, stored battery power and fossil fuel


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[ SANITATION AND WASTE DISPOSAL SYSTEM ]

o Urine Separation TechnologyIts purpose of urine-separating toilet systems is to separate nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium at source. They can then be used as concentrated fertiliser, as they are free from environmentally harmful substances and undiluted by wastewater flow.

+ A flow diagram showing how urine separation works

o The Green Square

To alleviate the city’s waste management issues, the Green Square composting stations would act as a double-duty solution, processing waste in an eco-friendly way while an elevated second level acts as parkland for local residents.

The complete transport system consisting of road ways and canals in the Oasis. The many nodes and transits (indicated by red dots) make for a thorough and complete public transportation system.

+ The Green

Loop, as designed for New York City


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The open, green space in the Radius serves as a underwater compost hub.

Sea level

o Desalination PlantAs the population continues to grow, shortages of fresh water will occur more often. Salt water (from the ocean, for instance) is being turned into freshwater for daily uses through desalination.

+ Taweelah A1 Power and Desalination Plant, United Arab Emirates


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[ ENERGY SYSTEM ]

The Oasis strives to be a self-sufficient city, in full sense of the word. That signifies that the city depends solely on renewable, clean and sustainable means to generate power to run the whole city.

o Hydroelectric dams

+ Schematic diagram of an hydroelectric dam

The two main dams built into the two main canals of the city are to control river flow, improve navigation, and regulate flooding and also to produce hydroelectric power for the city.

o Wind Turbines

The Oasis is to build robust, durable, off-shore wind turbines, engineered to produce power. As well, the Oasis wind turbines are designed to maximise land usage with built-in building as its base. The key benefits of agricultural wind power:

• Lower cost of energy• Security against escalating

electricity costs• Reduced carbon footprint• Promoting community values• Substantial incentive

programs available

+ Side and aerial view of the wind turbine designs of Oasis


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A close-up view of the six wind turbines on both sides of the city, one in the water and one on land. Each turbine base houses vital city management departments for each side of the city.

• Electrical Industry Management

• Water Distribution Management

• Sanitation and Waste Management

• Transportation Management• Tourism Centre• Defence Department


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ALL IN ONE

+ The Radius plan

All in one. The Radius is a colourful combination or commercial and residential developments, right at the fingertips of every citizen. Interconnected and easily accessible.

Commercial and trading

hub

Residential

radiusResidential zone

Commercial hub

Trading ports

Recreational spaces

Educational facilities

Religious zone

The green square: open, green space / compost hub

Central medical centre

+Close zoning view of a individual sector’s central


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[ RESIDENTIAL ]

Each residential zone in each sector consist of different types of housing development to suit the people’s desires and financial statuses. Nevertheless, a variety of solar construction is used to achieve generation of solar energy and the maximum energy demand of the buildings. As a result, all the housing developments and public buildings were constructed as low-energy buildings with solar panels on their roofs.

The Oasis evinces many different varieties of solar construction and solar architecture for sustainability and smarter living.

+ The Solar Settlement in Freiburg, Germany

+ A housing development in

Solarcity, Austria

[ FACILITIES ]o A Prime KindergartenThe entrance building volume, structure, building envelopes and passageways were considered to build this kindergarten. Solar collectors and photovoltaic also provided it with mare than enough noises. The mixed use of raw, clean materials exudes a an air of simplicity and contemporary style, accompanied with the right design and colour combination

+ Kindergarten in Solarcity, Austria


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o The Lake HouseHappiness is part of social interaction amongst nature, right beside the lake.

+ A coloured drawing of the public facility used for gatherings, public events for just simple picnics.

[ TRADE ] Trading activities make up a significant portion of the city’s economy. With the threat of sea level rise from climate change, his design uses plastic drums to keep it resting on top of the water, and the frame will be constructed with wood. Electricity would be provided by solar panels on the roof, and rainwater harvesting would help operate toilets..

[ Recreational Space ]


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The Haven

Urban, sustainable, purposeful. These are the three main words I would use to summarize the Oasis as a living, breathing city. A dense network of interrelated systems such as transportation and the waste management system, accompanied with state-of-art facilities and open, green spaces create a efficient and smart community. Agriculture and farming also form a community of hard work, resilience and technology-savvy. The Oasis is truly a gem in the desert.

In the face of destruction, we rebuild.

In the face of chaos, we find order.

In the face of desolation, we create an Oasis.

The Green Haven


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f. The final inference“If the cities of the past were shaped by people, the cities of the future are likely to be shaped by ideas, and there are a lot of competing ones about how such a futuristic urban space should look. Some of these revolve around the idea that smarter equals greener. Sustainability experts predict carbon-neutral cities full of electric vehicles and bike-sharing schemes, with air quality so much improved that office workers can actually open their windows for the first time.

Visions of a green city often include skyscrapers where living and office space vie with floating greenhouses or high-rise vegetable patches and green roofs, as we try to combine urbanisation with a return to our pastoral past.

Behind such greenification of cities lies a very pressing need.

"Cities are reaching breaking point," says Prof David Gann, who heads up Imperial College's Digital Economy Lab. "Traffic jams are getting worse, queues longer and transport networks more prone to delays, power outages more common.” “

- How will our future cities look like? On BBC News Technology, 17th February 2013.

[ Sustainability ]A key word indeed. Nowadays, future city developments all strive to incorporate sustainability into all projects. Same goes with the Oasis proposal. But what does this word mean, and why does it have such a strong impact on us?

Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, stewardship of both natural and human resources is of prime importance. A systems perspective is essential to understanding sustainability. Agronomy is envisioned in its broadest sense, from the individual farm, to the local ecosystem, and to communities affected by this farming system both locally and globally.

+Future of Urban Agriculture. Five Borough Farm in New York City.

31

Cities = The Future of Living.Through this project, I have understood the moving principles of a city. Through conceptualizing, analysing and most of all, research, the project helped me to realize that cities have so much more depth to its function and outlook than we think.

“Cities have the

capability of provid

ing something for

everybody, only

because, and only

when, they are

created by

everybody.”

― Jane

Jacobs

ALL IN ALL


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G. References http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/agriculture.htm http://www.evolo.us/architecture/drors-proposal-for-a-floating-city-of

-the-future/ http://www.e-architect.co.uk/haiti/harvest-city-haiti http://arcosanti.org/theory/arcology/main.html http://arcosanti.org/node/7329 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_cities http://inhabitat.com/silt-lake-city-floating-hydropolis-could-ride-the-t

ide-of-the-nile-river-in-egypt/floating-silt-lake-city-city-egypt/?extend=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_electricity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_agricultur http://inhabitat.com/a-utopian-vision-for-food-city-dubai/ http://stupiddope.com/2014/05/14/cool-concepts-the-floating-city-id

ea-by-at-design-office/

http://www.seawatergreenhouse.com/technology.html http://

www.amusingplanet.com/2014/04/organic-farming-in-deserts-of-wadi-rum.html


http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/agriculture.htm

http://www.evolo.us/architecture/drors-proposal-for-a-floating-city-of-the-future/

http://www.evolo.us/architecture/drors-proposal-for-a-floating-city-of-the-future/

http://www.e-architect.co.uk/haiti/harvest-city-haiti

http://arcosanti.org/theory/arcology/main.html

http://arcosanti.org/node/7329

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

http://inhabitat.com/silt-lake-city-floating-hydropolis-could-ride-the-tide-of-the-nile-river-in-egypt/floating-silt-lake-city-city-egypt/?extend=1



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

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

http://inhabitat.com/a-utopian-vision-for-food-city-dubai/

http://inhabitat.com/a-utopian-vision-for-food-city-dubai/

http://stupiddope.com/2014/05/14/cool-concepts-the-floating-city-idea-by-at-design-office/



http://www.seawatergreenhouse.com/technology.html

http://www.seawatergreenhouse.com/technology.html

http://www.amusingplanet.com/2014/04/organic-farming-in-deserts-of-wadi-rum.html



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