HOW ARE CITIES CREATED? Intro to Designing Your City

HOW ARE CITIES CREATED?

Intro to Designing Your City

PEOPLE MOVE TO BE NEAR WATER.

Having water nearby means: - health- wealth- food- jobs

Not having water means not having those things.

RIVERS AND LAKES:

To be realistic, put a river or lake in your city.

In most cities: Important places are up high, markets or government are in the middle.

Mendota Heights, our 1st tall settlement.

David A. Lanegran Ph.D. • July 2010 • Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education

Be sure to have a City Hall for government:

Also include parks. Why?

Example: Cannon Falls

The rivers were a “pull” factor for jobs.

Parks are a pull factor today.

Your map is the bird’s eye view of your city, a.k.a. “the grid.” Florence, Italy

Jobs created by river pulled people to Minneapolis.

River pulled people to St. Paul too.

Flour mills on the river created Minneapolis.

Today: Warehouses are apartments.

For a while, waterfronts were dominated by railroads.

The 1900 version of O’Hare in Chicago.

Daniel Burnham Plan for Chicago, published 1909:

Grant Park in Chicago, 1893:

Grant Park now:

The Future - Eco Bridge will extend Grant Park into the lake

Palm Islands inspired Chicago?

New York then and now:

New Hotel Construction Overlooking Mecca

Abraj-al-Bait Towers

Luxury Hotel and Residential Building

Tallest Hotel in the World

Towers over Mecca Economic, Cultural or

Political forces at work here?

Shanghai’s Next Tall Building

China’s Next Tall Building

Burj Khalifa

Tallest Building in world

Bird’s Eye View

Dubai 1990

Same street 2003

Dubai today

Ski Dubai in the Mall

Squatter cities

Most city dwellers live in squatter settlements.

Much to be proud of and much needed investment to maintain

How might tall buildings help? Hydroponic Skyscrapers

And alternative buildings

A tall building merges with its ecosystem.

Task 1: Make a map of your city