I take any chance I can to colour but tell myself that I’m “doing homework”…
While I was creating my perfect utopian world, I began to see similarities between three cities that I have lived in, and combined the best elements from Kelowna, Edmonton, and Vancouver (in my opinion) while eliminating all of the problem areas that I have encountered in each city. For this reason, it would be called Vanmontonowna.
My utopia contains all new and modern-looking buildings that are aesthetically pleasing, while still being functional. There would be an equal ratio of apartment buildings and houses to meet every need of the citizens that live there. In addition to the plentiful parks and green spaces that are found throughout the city, each house would have a front and back yard, and every apartment building would have a rooftop garden/patio, and the city would have fields of crops and agriculture in its immediate hinterland. On one extreme side of the city would be an ocean that is bordered by a sea wall for running, biking and roller-blading. The ocean and the fields would provide a sustainable and well-balanced source of food for the city. The city would be bisected by a river that would help to irrigate the immense amount of green space, as would the surrounding lakes that are used for their beautiful beaches, fishing and exercising opportunities. Along the length of the river would be walking trails, and on every road in the city there would be a bike path to create a pollution-free option of transportation and exercise. On the opposite sides of the city from the ocean, Vanmontonowna would be surrounded by a mountain range. The forested mountains would be excellent for hiking, skiing and snowboarding, and hunting for an additional food source.
At the center of Vanmontonowna would be a pedestrian market square, that would have endless possibilities for shopping, including an open-air farmers market in the summers. Besides the roads and bike paths, there would also be an excellent transit that is easily accessible, fast, and affordable. It would cover all areas of the city and hinterland. Health care would be free, as would education (of all ages). If a person wants to learn, they have as equal an opportunity as anyone else, as long as they are willing to work for it. In university the cost of books would remain, but tuition would be free. Courses would still be very challenging, and obtaining a degree would be recognized as valuable and would improve your salary.
I also really liked Zach’s idea of a reformative government to reduce prison capacities, as well as teaching the accused to suffer consequences for their actions while improving society. Prisons would still exist for utmost crimes, such as murder and rape. There would be no death penalty. I feel like there would have to be a centralized government, because without it people would not know what to do with themselves. Society has gotten extremely lazy, but there would be rewards (such as higher pay) for people who work hard. For example, farmers and fishermen would make a moderately-high salary, because they help the city to continue going.
That’s all, let me know what you think!
Kelsey, you have painted a vivid portrait of your utopian city! It sounds like a lovely place to live – a sort of Kelowna-by-the-sea – but I do have a couple of questions. How would you finance the construction of this Eden? And what would pay for the wonderful health care and education? Having nothing but single-family homes with gardens would also tend to encourage sprawl. How would you prevent the traffic jams and pollution that would come from reliance on automobiles to go anywhere?
I suppose I would attempt to get financed through wealthy investors, and hope that they like my ideal city more than the investors that Howard tried to recruit! Rent and taxes would cover education and health care. It wouldn’t be only single-family homes: it would be an equal ratio of apartment buildings and houses. Throughout the city (and densely in the core) there would be bicycle paths and walking trails, and there would be an excellent metro system (similar to the skytrain, which uses electricity). Therefore, the citizens would be perfectly capable of transporting themselves through the city without relying on an automobile.
Kelsey, the name of your Utopia literally made me laugh. At first when I read it, I thought that you had just spelled Vancouver really, really wrong… Then I realized your pun!
But now onto more serious stuff, I was wondering what your plan was for historical aspects. Where do you stand in the debate, if anywhere at all. I realize that in order to actually establish your utopia, it would require building from scratch and thus there would be no historical buildings or areas. But in my opinion, a perfect city has a soul and in many cases that soul is contained in the history of a city. I guess what I am asking is, maybe if you considered incorporating this historical aspect into your Utopia.
Hi Kelsey,
So I love your city, but the only thing I’m going to critique is your prison system. You comment that you want to reduce prison capacities by “teaching the accused to suffer consequences for their actions while improving society” so I assume you mean something similar to work camps? Would these separate criminals by their crime [embezzling a company with a robber?] or would they all be working together? Would you have them work on projects for the city, like cleanups, or possibly spend money to train them so they can benefit the city more? I’m also concerned with rewards “(such as higher pay) for people who work hard,” because who would judge this? Would it be from a committee where its being voted on by the community, or is it by higher officials?
Cheers!