x- city report



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Content:

1. Introduction

2. A Town Investigation on Better Township or Town or City

Guidelines and Issues

3. Investigation & Data Collection: Ancient and old cities/town

4. Investigation & Data Collection: The present towns/cities

5. Investigation & Data Collection: The future and better

township

6. The New “X” Town / Aqua Nirvana

7. The Conclusion

8. References list



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1. Introduction

In this final project for Elements of Natural Built and Environment, each

Student had to pretend that they are the mayor of the “X” City, in which is no

longer liveable. As the mayor of their own city, each student had to come up

with a new layout for their new “X” City.

Each student was instructed to investigate about a past, present and future

city. With the information collected, students were required to propose a new

“X” City based on their choice of different concepts of cities which were;

Underwater City, Underground City, a City Floating on Water, or a City In The

Air.



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2. The City

2.1 The City Definition

A city is a relatively large and permanent human settlement. Although there is no

agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English

language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical

status based on local law.

Cities generally have complex systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing,

and transportation. The concentration of development greatly facilitates interaction

between people and businesses, benefiting both parties in the process, but it also

presents challenges to managing urban growth. A big city or metropolis usually has

associated suburbs and exurbs. Such cities are usually associated with metropolitan

areas and urban areas, creating numerous business commuters traveling to urban

centers for employment. Once a city expands far enough to reach another city, this

region can be deemed a conurbation or megalopolis. In terms of population, the

largest city proper is Shanghai, while the fastest growing is Dubai.



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2.2 What is the brief history

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. During the fourth millennium B.C., the requirements for the "urban

revolution" were finally met: the production of a surplus of storable food, a

system of writing, a more complex social organization, and technological

advances such as the plough, potter's wheel, loom, and metallurgy.

Cities exist for many reasons, and the diversity of urban forms can be traced

to the complex functions that cities perform. Cities serve as centers of storage,

trade, and manufacture. The agricultural surplus from the surrounding

countryside is processed and distributed in cities. Cities also grew up around

marketplaces, where goods from distant places could be exchanged for

local products. Throughout history, cities have been founded at the

intersections of transportation routes, or at points where goods must shift from

one mode of transportation to another, as 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. Ancient cities usually had large temple precincts

with monumental religious buildings. Many medieval cities were built near

monasteries and cathedrals.

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 rendered walls useless in warfare. With the advent of modern

aerial warfare, cities have become prime targets for destruction rather than

safe havens.

Cities serve as centers 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.

Washington, D.C., for example, displays the monumental buildings, radial

street pattern, and large public spaces typical of capital cities.

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 centers of

communication, where new ideas and information are spread to the

surrounding territory and to foreign land.



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2.3 What makes a city / town

In 1950 Gordon Childe attempted to define a historic city with 10 general

metrics. These are:

-Size and density of the population should be above normal.

-Differentiation of the population. Not all residents grow their own food,

leading to specialists.

-Payment of taxes to a deity or king.

-Monumental public buildings.

-Those not producing their own food are supported by the king.

-Systems of recording and practical science.

-A system of writing.

-Development of symbolic art.

-Trade and import of raw materials.

-Specialist craftsmen from outside the kin-group.

2.4 What makes a good City

-GREEN ENVIRONMENT

Build environmentally sound and carbon efficient cities. Buildings alone

account for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, and the way we plan and

design our cities now will have significant implications for how resilient,

resource efficient and environmentally sound they are in the future. A green

city means promoting sustainable development through a carbon efficient

built environment.

-WELL PLANNED

As long as cities offer better opportunities for livelihoods, rural-urban migration

cannot be stopped. Therefore, plan the cities of tomorrow for sustainable

decision-making processes.

Sustainable urbanization and development requires planning processes and

political frameworks that harness the city’s assets and potential. Sustainable

planning entails participatory decision making processes and particular

attention to development that balances social, environmental and

economic needs. Of equal importance, sustainable planning and a planned

city are fundamental to achieving all the other characteristics of a good city.

-RESELIENT

Cities and communities are empowered to plan for and effectively manage

adversity, as it is fundamental to the urban agenda. Urbanization and

development can only be sustainable if it is adaptable to future demands

and risks, and is resilient to the consequences of climate change or natural

disasters.



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-SAFE AND HEALTHY

Good cities are safe and healthy. Cities hold the answers to challenges posed

by urbanization, which are in turn inextricably linked to issues of and agendas

concerning the economy, climate change, resource consumption, food

security and more. Cities need to be highly livable environments in order to

capitalize on their tremendous potential as the drivers of sustainable solutions

to our current and future challenges.

Health is determined by many factors outside the biomedical domain, even

with the restricted definition of health as the absence of disease. This point is

reinforced when the definition is expanded to the WHO vision of health as a

“state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing – not merely the

absence of disease or infirmity.

To build a healthy city is to establish people’s multi-consciousness of health

and a new public health policy of ecological balance (effects of

environment on health) and social justice (effects of poverty on health), by

integrating the professional cross-filed groups, promoting community

participation, health capacity building, and self-empowerment of inhabitants.

-PRODUCTIVITY

Good cities are efficient and better places to ensure decent work.

Economically equitable development is also one of the three pillars of

sustainability, and a requisite component of any healthy, livable and

sustainable city. Pursuing a sustainable development agenda means

planning cities that promote and foster livelihoods for all citizens through

economic opportunities.



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3. Investigation & Data Collection:

Ancient City, City Of Mohenjo-Daro

3.1 History Of Mohenjo-Daro

Mohenjo-daro, the modern name for the site, simply means Mound of the

Dead in Sindhi. The city's original name is unknown, but analysis of a Mohenjo-daro

seal suggests a possible ancient Dravidian name, Kukkutarma ("the city [-rma] of the

cockerel [kukkuta]"). Cock-fighting may have had ritual and religious significance for

the city, with domesticated chickens bred there for sacred purposes, rather than as

a food source. Mohenjo-daro may have been a point of diffusion for the eventual

worldwide domestication of chickens.

Mohenjo-daro was built in the 26th century BCE. It was one of the largest cities of the

ancient Indus Valley Civilization, also known as the Harappan Civilization, which

developed around 3000 BCE from the prehistoric Indus culture. At its height, the

Indus Civilization spanned much of what is now Pakistan and North India, extending

westwards to the Iranian border, south to Gujarat in India and northwards to an

outpost in Bactria, with major urban centers at Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Lothal,

Kalibangan, Dholavira and Rakhigarhi. Mohenjo-daro was the most advanced city

of its time, with remarkably sophisticated civil engineering and urban planning.

When the Indus civilization went into sudden decline around 1900 BCE, Mohenjo-

daro was abandoned.



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3.2 What ancient city are you concentrating on?

Location of Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley and extent of Indus Valley

Civilization (green). Mohenjo-daro is located in the Larkana District of Sindh,

Pakistan, on a Pleistocene ridge in the middle of the flood plain of the Indus

River Valley, around 28 kilometres (17 mi) from the town of Larkana. The ridge

was prominent during the time of the Indus Valley Civilization, allowing the

city to stand above the surrounding plain, but the flooding of the river has

since buried most of the ridge in deposited silt. The site occupies a central

position between the Indus River and the Ghaggar-Hakra River. The Indus still

flows to the east of the site, but the riverbed of the Ghaggar-Hakra on the

western side is now dry.

3.3 What makes is a significant city and what are the details?

Mohenjo-daro has a planned layout based on a street grid of rectilinear

buildings. Most were built of fired and mortared brick; some incorporated sun-

dried mud-brick and wooden superstructures. The area covered by the city is

estimated at 300 hectares. A "weak" estimate of peak population is at around

40,000.

The sheer size of the city, and its provision of public buildings and facilities,

suggests a high level of social organization. The city is divided into two parts,

the so-called Citadel and the Lower City. The Citadel – a mud-brick mound

around 12 metres (39 ft) high – is known to have supported public baths, a

large residential structure designed to house about 5,000 citizens, and two

large assembly halls. The city had a central marketplace, with a large central

well. Individual households or groups of households obtained their water from

smaller wells. Waste water was channeled to covered drains that lined the

major streets. Some houses, presumably those of wealthier inhabitants,

include rooms that appear to have been set aside for bathing, and one

building had an underground furnace (known as a hypocaust), possibly for

heated bathing. Most houses had inner courtyards, with doors that opened

onto side-lanes. Some buildings had two stories.



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In 1950, Sir Mortimer Wheeler identified one large building in Mohenjo-daro as

a "Great Granary". Certain wall-divisions in its massive wooden superstructure

appeared to be grain storage-bays, complete with air-ducts to dry the grain.

According to Wheeler, carts would have brought grain from the countryside

and unloaded them directly into the bays. However, Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

noted the complete lack of evidence for grain at the "granary", which, he

argued, might therefore be better termed a "Great Hall" of uncertain function.

Close to the "Great Granary" is a large and elaborate public bath, sometimes

called the Great Bath. From a colonnaded courtyard, steps lead down to the

brick-built pool, which was waterproofed by a lining of bitumen. The pool

measures 12 metres long, 7 metres wide and 2.4 metres deep. It may have

been used for religious purification. Other large buildings include a "Pillared

Hall", thought to be an assembly hall of some kind, and the so-called "College

Hall", a complex of buildings comprising 78 rooms, thought to have been a

priestly residence.

Mohenjo-daro had no series of city walls, but was fortified with guard towers

to the west of the main settlement, and defensive fortifications to the south.

Considering these fortifications and the structure of other major Indus valley

cities like Harappa, it is postulated that Mohenjo-daro was an administrative

center. Both Harappa and Mohenjo-daro share relatively the same

architectural layout, and were generally not heavily fortified like other Indus

Valley sites. It is obvious from the identical city layouts of all Indus sites that

there was some kind of political or administrative centrality, but the extent

and functioning of an administrative center remains unclear. Mohenjo-daro

was successively destroyed and rebuilt at least seven times. Each time, the

new cities were built directly on top of the old ones. Flooding by the Indus is

thought to have been the cause of destruction.



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3.4 Conclusion about the cities

The ruins of the city remained undocumented for over 3,700 years, until their

discovery in 1922 by Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay, an officer of the

Archaeological Survey of India. He was led to the mound by a Buddhist monk,

who reportedly believed it to be a stupa. In the 1930s, major excavations

were conducted at the site under the leadership of John Marshall, D. K.

Dikshitar and Ernest Mackay. Further excavations were carried out in 1945 by

Ahmad Hasan Dani and Mortimer Wheeler. The last major series of

excavations were conducted in 1964 and 1965 by Dr. George F. Dales. After

1965 excavations were banned due to weathering damage to the exposed

structures, and the only projects allowed at the site since have been salvage

excavations, surface surveys, and conservation projects. However, in the

1980s, German and Italian survey groups led by Dr. Michael Jansen and Dr.

Maurizio Tosi used less invasive archeological techniques, such as

architectural documentation, surface surveys, and localized probing, to

gather further information about Mohenjo-daro.

3.5 What information or element that you can use to your new future city

Mohenjo-daro has a planned layout based on a street grid of rectilinear

buildings. The City is layed out very systematically. I plan to use this for my ‘X’

City. The defensive fortifications of Mohenjo Daro is also useful for my city.

Considering these fortifications and the structure of Mohenjo Daro, My ‘X’ City

can be protected well just like the Mohenjo Daro City.



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Present City, Dubai

4.1 History of Dubai.

Dubai is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf and is one of the

seven emirates that make up the country. Although stone tools have been

found at many archaeological sites, little is known about the UAE's early

inhabitants as only a few settlements have been found. Many ancient towns

in the area were trading centers between the Eastern and Western worlds.

The remnants of an ancient mangrove swamp, dated at 7000 BC, were

discovered during the construction of sewer lines near Dubai Internet City. The

area was covered with sand about 5,000 years ago as the coast retreated

inland, becoming part of the city's present coastline. Pre-Islamic ceramics

have been found from the 3rd and 4th centuries. Prior to the introduction of

Islam to the area, the people in this region worshiped Bajir (or Bajar). After the

spread of Islam in the region, the Umayyad Caliph of the eastern Islamic

world invaded south-east Arabia and drove out the Sassanians. Excavations

by the Dubai Museum in the region of Al-Jumayra (Jumeirah) found several

artifacts from the Umayyad period.

The earliest recorded mention of Dubai is in 1095 in the Book of Geography by

the Andalusian-Arab geographer Abu Abdullah al-Bakri. The Venetian pearl

merchant Gaspero Balbi visited the area in 1580 and mentioned Dubai (Dibei)

for its pearling industry.

Dubai is thought to have been established as a fishing village in the early 18th

century and was, by 1822, a town of some 7-800 members of the Baniyas tribe

and subject to the rule of Sheikh Tahnoon of Abu Dhabi.

In 1833, following tribal feuding, members of the Al Bu Falasa tribe seceded

from Abu Dhabi and established themselves in Dubai. The exodus from Abu

Dhabi was led by Ubaid bin Saeed and Maktum bin Butti who became joint

leaders of Dubai until Ubaid died in 1836, leaving Maktum to establish the

Maktoum dynasty.

Dubai signed the treaty of 'Perpetual Maritime Truce' of 1853 along with other

Trucial States and also - like its neighbours on the Trucial Coast - entered into

an exclusivity agreement in which Great Britain took responsibility for the

emirate's security in 1892.

Two catastrophes struck the town during the 1800s. First, in 1841, a smallpox

epidemic broke out in the Bur Dubai locality, forcing residents to relocate east



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to Deira. Then, in 1894, fire swept through Deira, burning down most homes.

However, the town's geographical location continued to attract traders and

merchants from around the region. The emir of Dubai was keen to attract

foreign traders and lowered trade tax brackets, which lured traders away

from Sharjah and Bandar Lengeh, the region's main trade hubs at the time.

Persian merchants naturally looked across to the Arab shore of the Persian

Gulf finally making their homes in Dubai. They continued to trade with Lingah,

however, as do many of the dhows in Dubai Creek today, and they named

their district Bastakiya, after the Bastak region in southern Persia.

4.2 What town are you concentrating on?

Dubai is situated on the Persian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates and is

roughly at sea level (16 m or 52 ft above). The emirate of Dubai shares borders with

Abu Dhabi in the south, Sharjah in the northeast, and the Sultanate of Oman in the

southeast. Hatta, a minor exclave of the emirate, is surrounded on three sides by

Oman and by the emirates of Ajman (in the west) and Ras Al Khaimah (in the north).

The Persian Gulf borders the western coast of the emirate. Dubai is positioned at

25.2697°N 55.3095°E and covers an area of 1,588 sq mi (4,110 km2), which represents

a significant expansion beyond its initial 1,500 sq mi (3,900 km2) designation due to

land reclamation from the sea.

Dubai lies directly within the Arabian Desert. However, the topography of

Dubai is significantly different from that of the southern portion of the UAE in

that much of Dubai's landscape is highlighted by sandy desert patterns, while

gravel deserts dominate much of the southern region of the country. The sand

consists mostly of crushed shell and coral and is fine, clean and white. East of

the city, the salt-crusted coastal plains, known as sabkha, give way to a north-

south running line of dunes. Farther east, the dunes grow larger and are

tinged red with iron oxide.

The flat sandy desert gives way to the Western Hajar Mountains, which run

alongside Dubai's border with Oman at Hatta. The Western Hajar chain has

an arid, jagged and shattered landscape, whose mountains rise to about

1,300 metres (4,265 feet) in some places. Dubai has no natural river bodies or

oases; however, Dubai does have a natural inlet, Dubai Creek, which has

been dredged to make it deep enough for large vessels to pass through.

Dubai also has multiple gorges and waterholes, which dot the base of the

Western Al Hajar mountains. A vast sea of sand dunes covers much of

southern Dubai and eventually leads into the desert known as The Empty

Quarter. Seismically, Dubai is in a very stable zone—the nearest seismic fault

line, the Zagros Fault, is 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the UAE and is unlikely

to have any seismic impact on Dubai. Experts also predict that the possibility

of a tsunami in the region is minimal because the Persian Gulf waters are not

deep enough to trigger a tsunami.



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The sandy desert surrounding the city supports wild grasses and occasional

date palms. Desert hyacinths grow in the sabkha plains east of the city, while

acacia and ghaf trees grow in the flat plains within the proximity of the

Western Al Hajar mountains. Several indigenous trees such as the date palm

and neem as well as imported trees such as the eucalypts grow in Dubai's

natural parks. The houbara bustard, striped hyena, caracal, desert fox, falcon

and Arabian oryx are common in Dubai's desert. Dubai is on the migration

path between Europe, Asia and Africa, and more than 320 migratory bird

species pass through the emirate in spring and autumn. The waters of Dubai

are home to more than 300 species of fish, including the hammour. The

typical marine life off the Dubai coast includes tropical fish, jellyfish, coral,

dugong, dolphins, whales and sharks. Various types of turtles can also be

found in the area including the Hawksbill turtle and Green Turtle, which are

listed as endangered species.

Dubai Creek runs northeast-southwest through the city. The eastern section of

the city forms the locality of Deira and is flanked by the emirate of Sharjah in

the east and the town of Al Aweer in the south. The Dubai International

Airport is located south of Deira, while the Palm Deira is located north of Deira

in the Persian Gulf. Much of Dubai's real-estate boom is concentrated to the

west of Dubai Creek, on the Jumeirah coastal belt. Port Rashid, Jebel Ali, Burj

Al Arab, the Palm Jumeirah and theme-based free-zone clusters such as

Business Bay are all located in this section



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4.3 What makes is a significant town and what are the details?

Dubai has a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural

styles. Many modern interpretations of Islamic architecture can be found here,

due to a boom in construction and architectural innovation in the Arab World

in general, and in Dubai in particular, supported not only by top Arab or

international architectural and engineering design firms such as Al Hashemi

and Aedas, but also by top firms of New York and Chicago. As a result of this

boom, modern Islamic – and world – architecture has literally been taken to

new levels in skyscraper building design and technology. Dubai now has

more completed or topped-out skyscrapers higher than 2/3 km, 1/3 km, or 1/4

km than any other city. A culmination point was reached in 2010 with the

completion of the Burj Khalifa (Khalifa Tower), now by far the world's tallest

building at 829.8 m (2,722 ft). The Burj Khalifa's design is derived from the

patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture, with the triple-lobed

footprint of the building based on an abstracted version of the desert flower

hymenocallis which is native to the Dubai region. The completion of the

Khalifa Tower, following the construction boom that began in the 1980s,

accelerated in the 1990s, and took on a rapid pace of construction

unparalled in modern human history during the decade of the 2000s, leaves

Dubai with the world's tallest skyline as of 4 January 2010. At the Top, Burj

Khalifa, the world’s highest observatory deck with an outdoor terrace is one

of Dubai’s most popular tourist attractions, with over 1.87 million visitors in 2013.



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Burj Al Arab The Burj Al Arab (Arabic: رج عرب ب .Tower of the Arabs) is a 7 star luxury hotel ,ال

Although the hotel is frequently described as "the world's only seven-Star

hotel", the hotel management claims to never have done that themselves.

The Burj al Arab's management company, Jumeira Group, describes the hotel

as simply a "seven-star deluxe" property. A Jumeirah Group spokesperson is

quoted as saying: "There's not a lot we can do to stop it. We're not

encouraging the use of the term. We've never used it in our advertising."

Transport

Transport in Dubai is controlled by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), an

agency of the government of Dubai, formed by royal decree in 2005. The

public transport network has in the past faced congestion and reliability issues

which a large investment programme has addressed, including over AED 70

billion of improvements planned for completion by 2020, when the population

of the city is projected to exceed 3.5 million. In 2009, according to Dubai

Municipality statistics, there were an estimated 1,021,880 cars in Dubai. In

January 2010, the number of Dubai residents who use public transport stood

at 6%.



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Road

Five main routes – E 11 (Sheikh Zayed Road), E 311 (Sheikh Mohammed Bin

Zayed Road), E 44 (Dubai-Hatta Highway), E 77 (Dubai-Al Habab Road) and E

66 (Oud Metha Road) – run through Dubai, connecting the city to other

towns and emirates. Additionally, several important intra-city routes, such as D

89 (Al Maktoum Road/Airport Road), D 85 (Baniyas Road), D 75 (Sheikh Rashid

Road), D 73 (Al Dhiyafa Road now named as 2 December street), D 94

(Jumeirah Road) and D 92 (Al Khaleej/Al Wasl Road) connect the various

localities in the city. The eastern and western sections of the city are

connected by Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Garhoud Bridge, Al Shindagha Tunnel,

Business Bay Crossing and Floating Bridge.

The Public Bus Transport system in Dubai is run by the RTA. The bus system

services 140 routes and transported over 109 million people in 2008. By the

end of 2010, there will be 2,100 buses in service across the city. In 2006, the

Transport authority announced the construction of 500 air-conditioned (A/C)

Passenger Bus Shelters, and planned for 1,000 more across the emirates in a

move to encourage the use of public buses.

All taxi services are licenced by the RTA. Dubai licensed taxis are easily

identifiable by their cream bodywork colour and varied roof colours

identifying the operator. Dubai Taxi Corporation, a division of the RTA, is the

largest operator and has taxis with red roofs. There are four private operators:

Metro Taxis (orange roofs); Network Taxis (yellow roofs); Cars Taxis (blue roofs);

and Arabia Taxis (green roofs). In addition, Dubai Taxi Corporation has a

Ladies Taxi service, with pink roofs, which caters exclusively for female

passengers, using female drivers. The Dubai International Airport taxi

concession is operated by Dubai Taxi Corporation. There are more than 3000

taxis operating within the emirate making an average of 192,000 trips every

day, carrying about 385,000 persons. In 2009 taxi trips exceeded 70 million trips

serving around 140.45 million passengers.



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Air

Dubai International Airport (IATA: DXB), the hub for the Emirates Airline, serves

the city of Dubai and other emirates in the country. The airport was the 15th

busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic handling 40.9 million

passengers in 2009. The airport is also the busiest airport in the world by

international passenger traffic. In addition to being an important passenger

traffic hub, the airport is the 7th busiest cargo airport in world, handling 1.927

million tonnes of cargo in 2009, a 5.6% increase compared to 2008 and was

also the 4th busiest International freight traffic airport in world. Emirates Airline

is the national airline of Dubai. As of 2009, it operated internationally serving

101 destinations in 61 countries across six continents.

The development of Al Maktoum International Airport (IATA: DWC) was

announced in 2004. The first phase of the airport, featuring one A380 capable

runway, 64 remote stands, one cargo terminal with annual capacity for

250,000 tonnes of cargo and a passenger terminal building designed to

accommodate five million passengers per year, has been opened. When

completed, Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International will be the largest

airport in the world with five runways, four terminal buildings and capacity for

160 million passengers and 12 million tons of cargo.

In 2014, it emerged that an American contractor, ARINC (now owned by

Rockwell Collins) claims that it has not been paid for work performed at

Terminal 3, and that it is owed some US $70 million stemming from a 2007 debt.

Ahmed Bin Jassim, personal assistant to Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum,

Chairman of Dubai Airports, told an American journalist he had not heard of

ARINC.



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Metro rail

A $3.89 billion Dubai Metro project is currently operational. It currently consists

of two lines (Red line and Green line) which run through the major financial

and residential areas of the city. The Metro system was partially opened on

September 2009. UK-based international service company Serco Group is

responsible for operating the metro. The metro comprises the Green Line

which runs from the Etisalat Station to the Creek Station (though Creek Station

is still not operational and stops at Dubai Healthcare City Station, just before

Creek Station) and the Red Line, the major back bone line, which runs from

Rashidiya Station to Jebel Ali Station Jebel Ali. A Blue and a Purple Line have

also been planned. The Dubai Metro (Green and Blue Lines) will have 70 km

(43.5 mi) of track and 43 stations, 37 above ground and ten underground. The

Dubai Metro is the first urban train network in the Arabian Peninsula. All the

trains run without a driver and are based on automatic navigation.

Palm Jumeirah Monorail

The Palm Jumeirah Monorail is a monorail line on the Palm Jumeirah. It

connects the Palm Jumeirah to the mainland, with a planned further

extension to the Red Line of the Dubai Metro. The line opened on 30 April

2009. Two trams systems are expected to be built in Dubai by 2011. The first is

the Downtown Burj Khalifa Tram System and the second is the Al Sufouh Tram.

The Downtown Burj Khalifa Tram System is a 4.6 km (2.9 mi) tram service that is

planned to service the area around the Burj Khalifa, and the second tram will

run 14.5 km (9.0 mi) along Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina to the Burj Al

Arab and the Mall of the Emirates.

Dubai has announced it will complete a link of the UAE high-speed rail system

which will eventually hook up with the whole GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council,

also known as Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) and then

possibly Europe. The High Speed Rail will serve passengers and cargo.



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Waterways

There are two major commercial ports in Dubai, Port Rashid and Port Jebel Ali.

Port Jebel Ali is the world's largest man-made harbour, the biggest port in the

Middle East, and the 7th-busiest port in the world. One of the more traditional

methods of getting across Bur Dubai to Deira is by abras, small boats that ferry

passengers across the Dubai Creek, between abra stations in Bastakiya and

Baniyas Road. The Marine Transport Agency has also implemented the Dubai

Water Bus System. Water bus is a fully air conditioned boat service across

selected destinations across the creek. One can also avail oneself of the

tourist water bus facility in Dubai. Latest addition to the water transport system

is the Water Taxi.

4.4 Conclusion about the towns

The City of Dubai represents an enormous collaboration and coordination

effort of many individuals across all sectors of the building profession.

Conventional and cutting-edge technologies and building systems were

utilized, developed, and further advanced to create this unprecedented

structure, taking this building and the profession to literally new heights

4.5 What information or element that you can use to your new town

I was inspired by the layout of the city and the means of easy public

transportation across the city. I would include the transportation system of

Dubai into my city as it is highly functional and very efficient. I would also

incorporate the layout of the city and the structures of the buildings located

in the City of Dubai.



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The Future City, Case Study.

Floating City Concept.

Cities that float on water could offer an alternative to destroying the earth's valuable

countryside according to architecture studio AT Design Office, who has developed

a concept for an ocean metropolis.

AT Design Office, who has offices in England and China, was commissioned by

Chinese construction firm CCCC-FHDI to design a floating island with an area of four

square miles – utilising the same technologies that CCCC-FHDI is using to build a 31-

mile bridge between the cities of Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai.

http://www.dezeen.com/tag/cities/

http://www.atdesignoffice.com/



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Part of that bridge is an underwater tunnel, which is joined by a 150-metre-long

precast concrete box. The mega box is cast on a nearby island and floated to site

before being connected. We were appointed to work with the engineer to come

up with a masterplan for a 10-square-kilometre floating island that can be built with

the same technology.

Entitled Floating City, the team's proposal involves a series of prefabricated

hexagonal modules that tesselate to create all the infrastructure needed for a city

on water – from a transport network of yachts and submarines, to a floating hotel

and entertainment complex.

Recreational green spaces would be located both above and below the water's

surface, while farms, hatcheries and rubbish collection facilities would allow the

community to produce its own food and sustainably dispose of waste.



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The project offered an opportunity to develop a new urban nucleus of world-class

residential, commercial and cultural facilities, as well as to promote a zero-carbon,

energy-efficient and self-sufficient city.

The modules used to construct the island would be prefabricated in a factory then

floated out to a site. A cruise dock would be an integral feature of the city, allowing

these new deliveries to be easily received.

A system of underground tunnels would also be included, creating a network of

roads and walkways between buildings and islands.



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The proposal is now being reviewed by one of China's largest property investors.

China Transport Investment Co is reviewing the proposal and is likely to start to test

this ambitious project from a smaller scale next year.

Design for the Floating City

Our existing landmass on earth has been built up so extensively that the remaining

free land is under extreme pressure and needs to be preserved as much as possible.

New settlements should be planned in such a manner that important social and

environmental conditions are improved and can provide for better 21st century

living. Environmental impact and the improvements of health and social conditions

for human habitat should be the main concerns of new urban design and

development. Environmentally adaptive measures, higher densities, mixed uses and

efficient, smart design and infrastructure strategies need to be considered.

The basic construction unit is a prefabricated block – 150 metres length and and 30

metres in section. On plan, the grid can be an equilateral triangle and a pentagon.

The prefabricated parts can be overlapped vertically. During construction, the

modular parts are floated to the site after pre-fabrication in the factory.

The floating city has a perfect internal and external traffic system, linking it within but

also with the outside world. A cruise dock serves giant ships, a yacht dock serves

private vessels and civilian submarine traffic. Submarines and electric vehicles are

the main means of transport on the island – keeping the island free from air pollution

and congestion caused by automobiles. The main traffic flows are facilitated via the



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water canals above and below the water surface. The peri-urban area house farm,

hatchery and garbage recycling centre.

There are two public green belts ‐ one on the water surface and one under water.

The upper one can provide public space usable for sports and recreation in a fresh

air environment. The underwater green can be used for recreational tours.

Vertical gardens are interconnected with the public greenery system above and

below the water. A chimney in the centre of the vertical garden provides natural

ventilation and lighting to the underwater city. Meanwhile the vertical garden is also

a public traffic hub, which provides a traffic platform for submarines and inter-block

passages.

The harbour centre is used for parking submarines and also has a vibrant floating

entertainment area at its centre. The amusement city has a hotel at its bottom and

an open stage on its top. The large commercial and entertainment centre is located

under the stage. The entertainment city can be connected underwater with

adjacent buildings through an Archimedes buoyancy bridge, enabling people to

reach the entertainment city conveniently. Tourists can experience the fabulous

underwater world whilst passing through the underwater hotel and coming up to the

harbour city.

All living spaces in the floating city have ocean scenery in all directions, and with

convenient traffic connections within its 150-metre radius, enjoying proximity to local

facilities, services, public transport and gardens. A club located at the top of each

block and an equipment room and gravity regulation system located at the bottom.

Underwater tunnels with walkways and roads permit horizontal communication and

access between the islands and buildings that comprise the floating city.



26

The peripheral area houses farms and hatcheries as well as a modern garbage

collection and waste conversion centre. A production base and manufacturing

factory is located in the upper part of the triangle plot, whilst a tidal power

generation device is located in the lower part. These facilities are the basis of a

sustainable food and energy supply chain.

The Floating City will provide world class facilities, as well as additional supplies of

new areas to satisfy the long-term demand for human habitable land. Noise, waste

and other environmental impacts will be managed via innovative strategies. Our

proposed development and the associated infrastructure will bring positive change

to the community and its economy. The design will meet long‐term infrastructure

and sustainable development needs but also bringing new opportunities to

education, recreation, employment and business activities. Such opportunities will

create a vibrant, diverse and sustainable social and economic platform.

Architect: CCCC-FHDI & AT Design Office

Design Team: Zhu lixiang, Anthony Phan, Wang Rukai, Feng Yinhui, Liu Kun, Siska

Slavomir, Anna Kowal

Co Designer: CCCC‐ EHDI engineering Co. Ltd



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6. The New “X” City / AQUA NIRVANA

6.1 How did you come up with the solution to create this new town

I came up with the solution to create this city after being inspired by a few

concept ideas of a floating city by AT Design Office. The name “AQUA

NIRVANA” was inspired by water and happiness.

6.2 What is the important characteristic and elements

My new City is about 40km2 and it is floating on the ocean. It’s surrounded by a thick

transparent glass in the shape of an ‘X’ for protection. The city will mostly run on

hydroelectric energy and solar powered energy. The city is stationery and floats on

water based on the ‘Lily Pad’ concept.

The bottom of the floating “ecopolis” would be made of polyester fibers covered by

a layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2), which would react with ultraviolet rays and absorb

atmospheric pollution via a photocatalytic effect in the same way as the air-

purifying concrete and paving stones.

The floating city would also include the full complement of renewable energy

technologies, including solar, thermal, wind, tidal, and biomass to produce more

energy than it consumes. Aqua Nirvana could be located close to land or set free to

follow the ocean currents wherever they may lead.



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The glass used to cover my city is made up of 3 layers. Each layer is

protective layer can be removed based on the climate/situation which can

make the glass either transparent, translucent or opaque.

The motive behind the glass covered city is to protect the city from the

harmful effect of the sun in the future. It is also to protect the citizens from

natural disasters like tsunamis and earthquake. The glass also will protect the

citizens from the highly polluted area outside the city. It can act as a defence

system against enemies when needed. The top of the glass can be opened

for citizens that intend to travel out of the city. There are also solar panels on

the glass to collect solar energy from the Sun for the city.

Transparent

Opaque

Translucent



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ZONING OF AQUA NIRVANA CITY

Residential Area

Commercial Area

Recreational Area/ Park

Green Landscape/Forest

Police Station / Fire Station

Hospital

Education (Primary, Secondary, University)

Agriculture

Industrial Area

Religious/ Culture Area

Energy Source Plant

Tourism and Hospitality Area

Government



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Zoning The residential areas are located near the commercial area for easy access

for the citizens. It is also located near the education area. Each residential

area has a park nearby for citizen to carry out recreational activities.

Religious area for church, mosques, and temples are also located around the

residential areas for the citizens of diverse ethnicities.

A Police Station, Fire Station and a Hospital is located nearby the residential

areas and education areas in case of any emergencies. Two large areas of

my city is used for agriculture to sustain the city by itself.

Industrial Area is located away from residential areas, recreational areas and

agriculture areas to avoid disturbance and pollution of the area.

Two energy source plants are located at both ends of the city so that the city

can sustain on its own by producing natural and renewable energy. This

include the full complement of renewable energy technologies, including

solar, thermal, wind, tidal, and biomass to produce more energy than it

consumes.



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TRANSPORTATION

Pod Cars

The Pod Cars will be Aqua Nirvana City’s main source of public transport.

These systems, also known as pod cars, will be the new type of public

transportation designed to provide swift travel in congested areas of the city.

Pod cars are arranged in a ‘network topology’ and placed on elevated or

underground shuttle networks. With this system, travelers can make nonstop,

point-to-point trips bypassing all intermediate stations. To form a mental

image, pod cars can be though as individual and small scale trains. They offer

an efficient and clean energy alternative for city transportation.



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7. Conclusion

From this project, I learnt how to describe the different characteristics of natural

built and environment by exploring the basic elements such as natural

topography, landscape, space, building and infrastructure. I also learnt to

differentiate and compare the different development of built and environment

by looking at the natural topography, landscape, space, building and

infrastructure. Besides that I also learnt to analyse and evaluate the different

development of built and environment by looking at the natural topography,

landscape, space, building and infrastructure. I also managed to understand

how to communicate ideas through observation and different media

tools/technique to present information of the study of different cities.



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8. Reference Links

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai

- http://www.art.net/~hopkins/Don/simcity/manual/history.html

- http://alexandria.tue.nl/extra2/redes/lynch1980.pdf

- http://www.dezeen.com/2014/05/13/floating-city-at-design-office/

- http://www.gizmag.com/lilypad-floating-city-concept/17697/

- http://vincent.callebaut.org/page1-img-lilypad.html

- http://cenews.com/article/7709/design_and_construction_of_the_world_a

cute_s_tallest_building__the_burj_dubai

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohenjo-

daro#Architecture_and_urban_infrastructure

- https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/111213-features-of-good-

cities-by-mayowa-afolabi.html

- http://www.renewableenergymexico.com/?p=429

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

http://www.art.net/~hopkins/Don/simcity/manual/history.html

http://alexandria.tue.nl/extra2/redes/lynch1980.pdf

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/05/13/floating-city-at-design-office/

http://www.gizmag.com/lilypad-floating-city-concept/17697/

http://vincent.callebaut.org/page1-img-lilypad.html

http://cenews.com/article/7709/design_and_construction_of_the_world_acute_s_tallest_building__the_burj_dubai

http://cenews.com/article/7709/design_and_construction_of_the_world_acute_s_tallest_building__the_burj_dubai

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohenjo-daro#Architecture_and_urban_infrastructure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohenjo-daro#Architecture_and_urban_infrastructure

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/111213-features-of-good-cities-by-mayowa-afolabi.html

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/111213-features-of-good-cities-by-mayowa-afolabi.html

http://www.renewableenergymexico.com/?p=429

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