Let's Build The Perfect City

Over the last hundred years, most societies have experienced an incredible increase in wealth. One would think that our cities would reflect that, but in many ways, they don’t. What is currently being constructed is by many viewed as inferior to what was once built. Why is it that the buildings of the past are often found to be more attractive?

In this video, I will take a closer look at how we design our cities. I will break down what I believe are successful elements of city design, and then package them together into a final product.

Prince Charles Was Right - 2008 Intelligence Squared Debates
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The remaining footage was captured by the channel creator, or borrowed from:

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GEAR IN THIS VIDEO:
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About:
This channel deals with topics concerning architecture and city design. The aim is to broadcast interesting and peculiar structures as well as to challenge current standards within the field. If you (like me) have a passion for the subject, consider checking out some of my other videos!

I also have a homepage!

[thehaussmann]

Many of you have asked for the names of the various places featured. If you click on subtitle settings and choose Abkhazian it will now display the English place names.

[vividdaydream]

I agree on all of the points in the video, and I'd like to add my own: "The Perfect City" (imo) contains plentiful public spaces & publicly funded amenities. Your income level shouldn't dictate how much you can interact with the rest of the world - I'm tired of living in places where people who lack disposable income can't afford to go anywhere or do anything.

[cammysmith]

Honestly didn’t realise how few subscribers you had. Thought you would be a decently sized channel with a video like this. A very well balanced, informative and enjoyable video.

[vsmoraes]

I am not an architect, nor I am an engineer. I am actually a geologist but I too take great interest in urban planning and have thought on how I would build my perfect city before.

One thing I see very few people mentioning when the topic is urban planning is the city's geology. It is where the city sits on top of and many take it for granted, but this dramatically affects the decisions on a city. All we have to do is take a look at cities built on geologically hazardous areas such as Rio de Janeiro, Petrópolis and Mexico City or straight up aberrations of human stupidity such as Balneário Camboriú or Dubai.

First, the city needs to have a decent portion of permeable land to prevent floods. When it rains, a portion of the water infiltrates into the soil and what the soil can't absorb is converted into surface flow. In the context of a city, surface flow = flood. To concrete and asphalt are impermeable materials while natural soil is not. In addition, plant cover prevents erosion so having greenery will make sure that soil stays there. Photosynthesis is also an excellent mechanism for temperature control, not to mention shadows provided by trees so a well arborised cities suffer less from hot days. I can't overstate the benefits of dedicating ample space to parks, a stretch of trees in the middle of all avenues and a tree corner every few meters along sidewalks. Of course, not every street can be a Rua Gonçalo de Carvalho (Porto Alegre), but that doesn't mean it is not an example to be followed. Finally last, but definitly not least: green rooftops. Green rooftops on all buildings except those which's application would turn up unviable by its presence.

Sticking to geology, it is important to pay attention what is under the city being built. I know the Mexico City case will never (I hope) be repeated again, but it is such a didatic example I can't help not mentioning it. Historically, the location where Mexico City currently stands used to be a lake. The Aztecs built their capital, Tenochtitlan, floating on the lake. Not on its entirety, but land reclamation wasn't a large scale practice. After the fall of the Aztecs, the spanish decided to drain the lake. This is where geology knowledge which at the time was inexistent was important. Lakes are calm bodies of water, and calm waters deposit clay. Clay is just about the worst type of soil to build on because it is soft. When you put a heavy load on it, said load starts to sink and that's exactly what's happening to Mexico city at an alarming rate.

Other example of geology being overlooked can be tracked to Rio de Janeiro and Arequipa. Those cities' populations increased faster than their infrainstructure could absorb it which resulted in a growth that was organic, but was a movement that led to impoverished populations building precariously on geologically hazardous areas. On Rio's case, on hilly areas that, though relatively harmless when dry, are subject to landslides during intense rainfall, and Rio is located at the SACZ (South Atlantic Convergence Zone), which, in short, is a climatologic event that causes heavy rain during summer months. Arequipa's case is even more delicate because that is an urban sprawl invading an active volcano and the absense of urban planning includes an evacuation plan should an eruption happen.

Now I want to touch on geology working on favor of city building. You probably have heard of Machu Pichu before. Did you know that Machu Pichu was built where it was because the region has two different fault zones basically perpendicular from one another, essentially resulting in pre-formed blocks which were used to build the city. They weren't cut or transported by the Incas, they were discovered. It was the result of geological knowledge, however it was avaliable to them Quoting Professor Menegat, the researcher responsible for that discovery (and also my teacher, if I may say) "The Inca were the only civilization that domesticated mountains." That may sound hyper specific for some, and it is, but every place has a unique geology of their own. If the Inca could take advantage of it, why us, with the technology we have, can't?

There's plenty more I would like to talk here. I didn't even got to start on my thoughts past geology. Unfortunately my current schedule is tight and I'll have to cut it short today.

[davislinkaits]

"If you are given land on the waterfront, that's like playing FIFA on amateur mode." Haven't laughed that much about urbanism for quite a while. Good one. Quite a lot of cities just see it as a fantastic amount of space to build a road/highway and think nothing about it.

[jelsner]

Loved this! I spend a lot of time daydreaming about my personal "perfect city." I'm very drawn to the renderings of utopian Renaissance cities. Subscribed and looking forward to future content.

[PixXx]

The Scruton quote was so perfect. Many architects just have this huge ego for no reason and would rather die than "not reinvent the wheel" whenever they can. I've had this mindset, too until a few years ago, and in some form I still do, because innovation is great, but it can't be forced and it's just crazy to think we could do better than what has been a centuries long learning process in many cases. And tbf, it doesn't just concernt architects, but many other professions, too.

[bearcb]

As a Brazilian, I’m glad that you used Brasilia as the example of what the perfect city should NOT be. It is indeed an urbanistic and, to some extent, an architectural nightmare! You also showed some shots of the Paulista avenue, in São Paulo, which is in many ways the opposite of Brasilia’s avenues: a lively space where people gather, with bars, restaurants, shopping centers, museums, cultural centers, a green park, bookshops etc. Even the all too modern architecture seems to fit in.

[LightbulbTedbear]

This video said everything I've been trying to put into words for years. 10/10.

The London examples really speak to me. Density-wise, there's not much difference between Kensington and places like Croydon. Then why is Kensington a tourist hotspot and ultra desirable neighbourhood? It's literally just because it looks pretty. Imagine if, every time a new building was built in London, it was built in the architectural style and street layout of Kensington. EVERYONE could live in a place as nice as Kensington, if we just built places like that.

[EtherealBlueRainbow]

What makes Paris work as a city is that most of the Parisians are only a few minutes on foot from everything they need: grocery stores, pharmacies, shops, cafés, restaurants, recreational areas.
Compared to a lot of other places, there is more space for pedestrians to walk, a lot more trees to create shade and provide more oxygen, and a lot more benches to sit on if you want to take a break. The Haussmanian style mixed with greenery is very soothing and calm to the eye, which is quite needed in the the chaos & pressures of city life.
Add in an extensive public transport grid to link neighborhoods without requiring the need for a car.

[matteoiapadre]

I'm Rome but have been living in Paris for a year now. While Paris is wonderful, the homogeneity that is one of its strength can get alienating after a while. Rome on the other hand is by no means perfect (bad public transport and heavy car use outside of the center) but I think it manages many of the challenges you described quite well. Of course the historic city center is stunning (most beautiful on earth imo) but is by no means the center of all activity. Even just the center could be divided in "districts" based on the architectural style (Baroque vs 19th century vs ancient roman, for example). And even outside of it, due to how large the city is in terms of area, and how architecturally and geographically diverse its neighborhoods are, you end up with lots of "islands" with their own centers and peripheries, and some of the more popular ones were social housing projects up until a few years ago! I think it's a shame, for how beautiful it is, that most people only know Rome for its city center.

[Pngjayjo]

Landscape architect here. You've responded to a question I find to be massively central to our future development as a society. I live in a major Western US city, and the curse of suburbia is pretty rampant here. That said, poly-centric development patterns are starting to emerge, with three or four major "Old Town" districts already pretty well developed. It'll be interesting to see how our cities respond to this next generation as we ask questions that have been ignored for too long.

[havedalDK]

I have been building my own "perfect city" in Minecraft for years now, and I've considered a lot of what you've have said in this video over the years. Though I've always stuck with the idea of a car-free city center with neo-classical buildings sourrounding it, and on the outskirts I'd have business district with Art Deco skyskrapers.
It's extremely difficult though to create the "third space" artificially in a game, but that is what I'm always striving for.

[chittodnaresh]

6:16 Oh! i did not know that you were executed in order to build one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Thank you for your sacrifice👍

[GKCanton]

You have managed to put int words and simple to digest arguments all that I have been trying to articulate for at least six years so, do take that as your gold medal. Great video. Subscribed and liked.

[danrejk]

Wait! This video was made by a guy with a bit over 100 subs??? You must be joking! This video is just sooo good! I watched all 24minutes of it and only now noticed the sub count. Keep it going dude!

[Orthodoge]

You should look at traditional Asian cities, Xi’ An, Pingyao, Kyoto, Old City Beijing. Also I think the City wall(with beautiful Gates and a ring of Park outside it’s perimeter) can be a good thing, representing symbolic boundaries even if it has no defense purpose in modern warfare

[pakhyeoncheol]

It gives me so much hope to see this revolution of thought regarding urban design. I really hope I get to see the fruits of this excitement for improvement during my lifetime

[EtherealBlueRainbow]

I love the idea of different neighborhoods with each their own identity! It would be so much fun to enjoy a different style for every outing. + depending of your individual style, you could choose to live in the place that fits you the most while still enjoying the same quality of life as everyone else!

[antoinetremblay]

I kinda liked the Oslo neighborhood tbh lol.

Love your video and agree with most of your points, but it does at times still feel like old=good, new=bad (I don't blame you, I'll take Paris over Rotterdam anytime, but I was hoping you could also show us more examples of new developments that are "perfect city" material in your view). Keep up the good work, hope your channel blows up!