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my idea of utopia is that everybody can get a chance to live in beautiful and eco friendly housing. an example of this is slums. the people living in slums are the people who make a successful city what it is; their jobs are the most relevant jobs a city could ask for. cleaners, construction workers, traffic police, without them, a city wouldn't be complete. so what their jobs aren't high class or absolutely professional, they are like the heart to a body, the cells in a plant.  so what they aren't the cleanest people or the wealthiest workers, that doesn't stop them from living in comfortable and cozy housing! this is precisely what I am trying to solve, offering the people who are living in slums more affordable and better quality eco housing. this is also an amazing opportunity for the people to live as a community, instead of being isolated from the rest of the city.

this community area is based on the design by Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67, and the main structure of it are like building blocks stacked together to form a piece of art. this is also a nice way to connect the modern design back to it's roots, as slums also looked as though they were piled up onto one another. to fit the idea of utopia, these houses are definitely eco friendly as they have black solar powered walls at the side of each house (called a block), along with either bamboo weaved or green living walls as the main façade. also, the interior of the houses is designed based on a smart use of space, as looking at the number of people that live in slums, the utopia bamboo villa can't afford huge houses for each block. the roofs of these houses are used as an alternative for a backyard, as people can do their laundry or relax on top of the green grass. benches, trees and bushes are placed on these rooftop gardens to give great aesthetic pleasure. going along with the bamboo theme, mounted on the solar paneled walls are bamboo pipes with it's insides lined with recycled plastic to prevent the pipes from damaging. to add to that, a filtration system will be placed inside the bamboo pipes, so that rainwater can be collected in a barrel and used for washing or watering plants. the reason I chose to use round windows made from bamboo is so that it creates contrast between the square exterior of each house.

I hope that the utopia bamboo villa can be a savior for the people living in slums, and a chance to show them that they are a very important part of a city. ideally, this idea can be brought overseas or even around the world in the future, because in my opinion, everyone deserves a chance to live in a great place that they can call home.

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the is an experiment of layering

i sketched a city skyline at the back and stuck on a new piece of paper with a simple sketch of slums at the front

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this is a drawing of a single building's exterior in the decorated slums

it includes green and purple funky living walls and also solar panel roofs that are safe to walk on

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this is an experiment based on my artist study

the buildings in this experiment includes bamboo walls, living walls and rooftop gardens

i created it using photoshop

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this is my inspiration for the artist study

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this is an artist study of the painting above

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this is the analysis of the building above

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using spaces in between old buildings to build new homes for people living in cities

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Santorini, Greece

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this is Habitat 67 designed by Moshe Safdie, in Montreal

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these slums are painted by two guys from Brazil

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Two Dutch artists think that Brazil's slums can be beautiful. As part of a massive public art project, they're hiring locals to paint their neighborhoods.

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Conflict, natural disasters, climate change, population growth, urbanisation and poverty all demand that people think differently about housing and shelter. As many as 100 million people are homeless, so structures must be deliverable, affordable and suitable for devastating conditions. Urgent Architecture, by Bridgette Meinhold, looks at sustainable solutions ranging from basic shelters to ecohomes. Some are prototypes, others are being tested and some are common in disaster areas
All photographs: Urgent Architecture/WW Norton & Co

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Humanitarian intent: Urgent Architecture from ecohomes to shelters - in pictures

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Conflict, natural disasters, climate change, population growth, urbanisation and poverty all demand that people think differently about housing and shelter. As many as 100 million people are homeless, so structures must be deliverable, affordable and suitable for devastating conditions. Urgent Architecture, by Bridgette Meinhold, looks at sustainable solutions ranging from basic shelters to ecohomes.

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here is the link to the article

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The role architecture plays in our everyday lives is astronomical. From the cool houses we marvel at on Freshome's pages to historical & iconic buildings that we recognize instantly, architecture surrounds us daily. The architects behind these buildings and homes are what we love and the following 10 architects have paved the way for ingenious design, cutting edge innovation and have become pioneers of our built environment. Take a look at what we think are 10 of the greatest modern architects of our time.

1.) Frank Gehry (born 2.28.1929):

There is no mistaking Gehry's works, as they are the most distinctive, and innovative architectural phenomena around. His deconstructive forms are iconic as tourists flock to all of his buildings worldwide to marvel at the architectural forms he creates. Named by Vanity Fair as "the most important architect of our age", he has set the precedence for contemporary architecture. His ability to create spaces that manipulate forms and surfaces is his most notable feats and we all love his unique uses of materials that almost defy all logic in how they work together.

His most notable projects include: The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Der Neue Zollhof in Düsseldorf and the Marqués de Riscal Vineyard Hotel in Elciego.

2.) Frank Lloyd Wright (born 6.8.1867):

Some consider Frank Lloyd Wright to be the greatest architect of all time. For he thought of interior & exterior spaces as one and was ahead of his time in building forms, construction methods, and never went to a formal architecture school. His humble American upbringing led him to learning under Louis Sullivan - another legend in architecture and to this day Wright is noted for his prairie-style buildings and organic influences. His organic and natural forms that seemed to become one with nature and his innovative detailing are still considered to be the best building and design concepts, even after nearly 150 years.

His most notable projects include: The Guggenheim Museum in New York City, New York, Fallingwater Residence in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, Arizona State University Gammage Auditorium & Taliesin West - Wright's home and studio in Scottsdale, Arizona.

3.) Ieoh Ming Pei - I.M. Pei (born 4.26.1917):

The Chinese born architect came to study architecture in the United States as a teenager and later became one of the greatest architects of modern architecture. Almost 80 years later I.M. Pei's work can be seen worldwide and are noted for their unique use of geometric forms and incorporating Chinese influences into his work. His National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado embodies Pei's iconic geometric forms and unity with natural elements in their surroundings. Pei's work graces some of the most prestigious government and acclaimed sites throughout the world.

His most profound projects include: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., Le Grand Louvre (The Pyramid) in Paris, The Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.

4.) Zaha Hadid (born 10.31.1950)

The first woman architect who ever won the Pritzker Architecture prize went to the legendary Zaha Hadid. Born in Iraq Hadid went on to win this iconic award which is often termed the 'Nobel peace prize of architecture'. Hadid's forms are characterized as futuristic, unconventional, daring and artistic. Many of her projects were never built and she still was ranked on Forbes list at 69 th most powerful women in 2008. Her beautiful buildings always leave us with our mouths open, as if to say, "How did she design that?"

Her most noted projects are: MAXXI - the National Museum of the 21 st Century Arts the Bridge Pavilion in Zaragoza, Bergisel Ski Jump in Innsbruck, Phaeno Science Center and the Opera House in Guangzhou.

5.) Philip Johnson (born 7.8.1906)

Noted as the American architect who founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Johnson's architectural works are easily identifiable. His glass house in Connecticut is one of the most familiar residences with its minimal interiors and expansive glass vistas were just one example of his use of the material. His amazing use of glass, steel and later crystal became his world-renowned fame. The Crystal Cathedral in California looks as though it should be in a child's fairytale book it is the epitome of forward-thinking architecture that characterized Johnson's Minimalism and Pop-Art styles.

His most notable works are the Seagram Building in New York City, in collaboration with architect, Mies van der Rohe, Philip-Johnson-House in Berlin, Germany, The Museum of Television of Radio & The Crystal Cathedral in California.

Is it possible to become one of the greatest modern architects of our time if you are only noted for one building? When the building is the most recognizable hotel in Dubai, yes. British architect, Tom Wright is responsible for the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Acclaimed for its luxurious amenities as a hotel and also one of the most recognizable buildings in modern architecture. Noted with the world's tallest atrium, and equipped with its own helicopter landing pad and tallest tennis court at the top, Tom Wright definitely deserves to join the list of great modern architects.

7.) Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (born 3.27.1886)

Referred to commonly as "Mies", the German-American architect is termed one of the pioneers of modern architecture along with Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. Mies was known for his minimalist and "less is more" approach to architecture and his forward thinking of using plate glass and structural steel to divide interior spaces is one of his most notable characteristics in architecture. His innovative open floor plan concepts were first thought of by Van der Rohe and many of his interior concepts & furniture styles are widely used in today's architecture and interiors.

His most notable projects include Barcelona Pavilion, in Barcelona, Spain, New National Gallery in Berlin, Germany, Seagram Building in New York City and Crown Hall in Chicago, Illinois.

8.) Renzo Piano (born 9.14.1937)

The Italian born architect was named one of Time magazine's top 100 most influential people in 2008. Piano who is an Italian Pritzker prize-winning architect has been instrumental in shaping modern architecture that stands on its own in recognition. The Shard - Europe's tallest skyscraper in London has faced much controversy in its construction, but many feel it has given London a way to join the 21 st century. In his younger years he worked with the world-renowned architect Louis Kahn and soon become known for his unique applications of materials and details.

Piano's most notable projects include: The newly opened Shard in London, England, NEMO Science Center in Amsterdam, The New York Times building in New York, and Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan.

9.) Jean Nouvel (born 8.12.1945)

Nouvel is a French born architect who has won numerous prestigious awards and honors over the years for his projects, including the Prtizker Prize in 2008. Nouvel's most acclaimed fame came from winning the design competition for the Arab World Institute in Paris that brought him international fame. Mechanical lenses in the south wall open & shut automatically and are reminiscent of Arabic latticework. The devices control interior lighting automatically from exterior light levels. Nouvel's work is known worldwide and his use of innovative architectural concepts set him apart from many modern architects today.

Nouvel's projects of note include: Arab World Institute in Paris, Denstu Building in Tokyo, Ziaty Andel in Prague, and Gasometer A in Vienna and Les Grandes Tables of Seguin Island in Paris.

10.) Moshe Safdie (born 7.14.1938)

Safdie is another product of Louis Kahn's apprenticeship that led to his remarkable modern architecture career. Originally from Haifa, Safdie is known for his 1967 International & Universal Exposition - Expo 67, which was Canada's main celebration during its centennial year, and was deemed a remarkable cultural achievement. Safdie has been awarded with much recognition of which the Gold Medal, from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada is among the finest.

Safdie finest projects include: The towering & glass filled - National Gallery of Canada, Habitat 67 in Montreal, & Khalsa Heritage Memorial in Punjab, India.

Narrowing down the top 10 architects of modern architecture is a feat in itself, for there are thousands of architects and designers who have paved the way for creating awe-inspiring additions to our built environment. We would love to know Freshome who you would add to this list, for we know that that our so many we wish we could have included!

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Iconic Legends: The 10 Greatest Modern Architects of Our Time - Freshome.com

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Collect this idea The role architecture plays in our everyday lives is astronomical. From the cool houses we marvel at on Freshome's pages to historical & iconic buildings that we recognize instantly, architecture surrounds us daily. The architects behind these buildings and homes are what we love and the following 10 architects have paved the ...

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the link to the research google doc

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the top 25 here:

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Yuriko Nakao, Reuters

Most of the world's capacity for economic growth is centered in its metro areas. Which cities top the list?

Cities and their surrounding metro regions are the real economic engines of our time. Bringing together talented, ambitious people and the assets they need to succeed, cities propel the innovation and enterprise that spur long-term prosperity. Economists increasingly argue that clustering, concentration, and density stand alongside land, labor, and capital as key features that shape economic growth.

American cities account for nearly 90 percent of total U.S. economic output, and 85 percent of U.S. jobs. As Harvard's Michael Porter recently told the Clinton Global Initiative: "There is no one U.S. economy but a collection of local economies." Across the globe, metros with populations over one million account for more than half of the world's economic output and nine of every ten innovations, while housing roughly one out of every five people.

Tokyo takes the top spot on our Global Economic Power Index, besting New York and London. With 35 million people and nearly $1.2 trillion in economic output, (as of 2005 the most recent date for which globally comparable data are available), Tokyo is the world's largest urban economy. The only other regional economy that comes close is greater New York, with $1.1 trillion in economic output (as of 2005, rising to nearly $1.3 trillion today). Both would rank among the world's top 15 economies, slightly smaller than Canada or Spain, but larger than India, Mexico and South Korea. While New York and London are quintessential financial, knowledge-based and creative economies (taking the two top spots on the Financial Power Index), Tokyo has a substantial base of world-class factories as well as cutting-edge research and development labs-putting it in first place on the Global Innovation Index. The slides below show the world's 25 most economically powerful cities.
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The Global Economic Power Index, developed with my Martin Prosperity Institute colleague Charlotta Mellander, reflects three key three dimensions of economic power-economic, financial, and innovative. Economic Power is measured as economic output or gross regional product. Financial Power is based on the Global Financial Centers Index, which ranks the banking and financial power of cities across the world. Innovation is based on patenting activity.

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The 25 Most Economically Powerful Cities in the World

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Most of the world's capacity for economic growth is centered in its metro areas. Which cities top the list? Cities and their surrounding metro regions are the real economic engines of our time. Bringing together talented, ambitious people and the assets they need to succeed, cities propel the innovation and enterprise that spur long-term prosperity.

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yo͞oˈtōpēə/noun

1. an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. The word was first used in the book Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More

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disˈtōpēə/noun

1. an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.

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many countries suffer from poverty and they live in slums around the world, for example India, Indonesia, Ghana, Mauritania and more.

here is a link to the world's 5 largest slums:

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Photo: Reuters

As people continue to migrate away from rural areas and into cities, cities that are growing to devour the land around it, the numbers of people living in slums, shanty towns and informal settlements are skyrocketing.

Currently, there are 200,000 of these communities across the world, according to the United Nation's Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, most of them in and around cities, and that number is growing exponentially. Even before the economic crisis of 2008, about one third of all city dwellers live in slums, slums which will grow in size by one billion more people within the next twenty years.

While 90 percent of the world's informal settlements are in developing nations -- such as India and Brazil -- they are a worldwide phenomenon and are in European capital and largest American cities. Here are the five largest slums in the world:

Neza-Chalco-Itza: One of Mexico City's many barrios, Neza-Chalco-Itza is the largest slum in the world with roughly four million people. Slums in Mexico city began growing in the early 1900s when the railroad brought new industry -- as well as new industrial zones -- to the city.

As with many slums, most people in Neza-Chalco-Itza live illegally on unauthorized land. However, unlike in most areas, some of Mexico City's slum dwellers also live in vecindades, former mansions abandoned by wealthy families that have been converted into low-income rental apartments. About 10 percent of all the residents of the Mexican capital live in these buildings.

Orangi Town: Technically only 10 years old, the township in Karachi, Pakistan is home to 1.5 million people and still growing. Orangi, with 22 square miles of space, is significantly less dense than most urban slums and also more structured. There are 13 official neighborhoods, each with its own council, which has allowed the township to build its own sewer system. Additionally, as only of 18 districts of Karachi, Orangi has government representation, albeit in the lowest tier of the government.

Dharavi: After Orangi, the largest slum in Asia is Dharavi in Mumbai. About one million people reside on just one square mile of space that was formerly a mangrove swamp. People became flocking to the area as the tanning and textile industries boomed and Dharavi's population density is now 11 times higher than that of the city that encompasses it.

A neighborhood smack in the heart of Mumbai, it retains the emotional and historical pull of a subcontinental Harlem -- a square-mile center of all things, geographically, psychologically, spiritually, National Geographic said in a recent article. Its location has also made it hot real estate in Mumbai, a city that epitomizes India's hopes of becoming an economic rival to China.

In 2011, other Mumbai slums might have surpassed Dharavi in total population, but the figures can only be speculated at this point. What that does mean, though, is that a number of Asia's largest shanty towns are all in the same city (Notably, Mumbai is the fifth biggest city in the world).

Khayelitsha: Cape Town, South Africa is a huge, sprawling city that has given rise to a number of new neighborhoods and townships over the past decade. Khayelitsha is now the biggest of these and the community had a population explosion after apartheid ended and blacks rushed into Cape Town for jobs.

As of the last census in 2005, there were a recorded 400,000 people in Khayelitsha, but that figure is likely much higher. The township's population is incredibly young, with 40 percent of its residents under 19 years old and only about seven percent over the age of 50.

Kibera: A neighborhood in Nairobi, Kenya, the Kibera slum is the second largest in Africa, with anywhere from 200,000 to one million residents. Kibera is often used as the model for the environmental impact of informal settlement. Without state sponsored infrastructure like plumbing, residents resort to using flying toilets, which are just plastic bags that can be tossed onto the street. However, Kibera is also one prototype for urban renewal and slum upgrading projects. For about $300,000, U.N. HABITAT is trying to transform all of Kenya's slums, staring with the construction of roads and other services and an actual mapping of the area.

Rounding out a list of the 10 biggest slums would include communities in Bogota, Colombia; Baghdad, Iraq, Venezuela, and Ghana.

The conditions in slums are surely a seriously problem with global implications, but slums themselves do not have to be a problem for anyone. The global population is booming -- the seven billionth citizen of Earth was born only a month ago -- and people need to live somewhere. In the modern, global economy, urbanization is a trend that is impossible to buck and informal settlements are a necessary part of the process.

There are ways to make these communities more hospitable and less hazardous on an environmental level. Some cities in Colombia are extending public transportation lines out to the slums, which as encouraged economic and urban development.

Additionally, others see the population density of slums as a blessing rather than a curse, and perhaps as the future of cities. New, conceptual low-income housing projects are springing up in the United States that could be a model for the developing world. Single-family stacked houses like the ones currently in Brazil and Mexico could be the prototype for the next generation of cities.

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As people continue to migrate away from rural areas and into cities, cities that are growing to devour the land around it, the numbers of people living in slums, shanty towns and informal settlements are skyrocketing.

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hello! this is the padlet wall that i created to note down everything that i did for this term's project: utopia.