Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Alternative city planning for a different lifestyle

Previously in this blog we discussed about Arcosanti and the suburbs. There is the necessity of improvement in the upcoming years to allow humanity to live in better conditions than today. Why? Because we are building homes and city scape with a stencil-technique that is not suitable for our lives and the environment. You can also all it copy-paste and it will make little or no difference. 
Big constructions for the realization of new massive suburbs is obsolete for using a method of labyrinths made out of homes and shopping centers: houses, houses, houses, convenience store, gas station, houses, houses, etc.

Cities can have a green future and not for it's colour, but for a new life style that can be in symbiosis with nature without wrecking its balance. This is why people must rethink the way we live now abolishing the oil-based society we became and drift towards recycle of waste producing energy.

It wouldn't be bad if we can go back to having cities built in a way where people can walk rather than drive everywhere. It's bad to see that some cities around the world do not have sidewalks outside their downtown areas. Bicycle lanes are something relatively new and not fully exploited. Paths for people are just forgotten trails that people do not take for fear at night and because lead to places of no interest.

Housing alternatives will set the first foot in a new direction for a better city planning. Right now there are alternative projects that are eco-friendly and have can have cheaper construction costs.

Grass covered houses - the roof of your house has just the function to cover you from anything that's falling from the sky (meteors and planes not included). You don't walk on it nor use it, so covering it on grass will help insulating your home without recurring to expensive artificial materials. You can actually use your grass-roof for leisure as the green colour induces the calm perception int he brain and reduces the stress.

Container houses - there are so many containers around this world that aren't used. They are already built and ready to be modeled according to the hose need: size and floors. In northern Europe containers are used to accommodate students and people willing to experiment new quarters. Labor is drastically reduced in relation to a common house. To assemble this project you need a crane, welders and cutting tools for doors and windows. There you go, your house is ready in weeks.

Styrofoam houses - even cheaper to make because of the light weight of the Styrofoam used to build these domes. There is also the great advantage of insulation reducing costs and quantity of energy to heat or cool the house. They can be built in short times reducing production costs giving the ability to homeowners to settle and furnish the house in no time.

Tree house - it's probably one of the oldest construction that men developed with great advantages. Now it's more of a kid's dream, but building homes on trees creating a small village deep in the green can only benefit our health. All the material construction are natural and for every house built a tree should be planted to balance the material sourcing. The vegetation absorbs CO2 and emits oxygen that is good for our atmosphere and our lungs.

No comments: