July 2, 2010

• Undercities

  This year, traveling through Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, I'm reminded how differently city planning has worked in these asian city-states.  Within the hearts of these cities, vast networks of tunnels have been constructed in which inhabitants can walk, shop, and eat without ever leaving man-made structures.  In Hong Kong's case, the tunnels bridge beneath the city, but there are also walkways above ground criss crossing the avenues between the large hotel and office buildings, seen particularly around Central, Admiralty, and too a lesser extent Tsim Sha Tsui.  The whole city seems to be growing into a nest like structure. 

  Meanwhile, in Tokyo, while in some ways less dense, some of the newer constructs, such as Roppongi Hills, are truly amazing mixed-use spaces with residential, office, and retail space all coexisting.  The architecture really provides for some interesting spaces.  The subways are labyrinths of interconnecting passageways and shops.

  Singapore, though less populated by far than either of the above, already is manifesting many of the same features.  From what I remember of Seoul, it was also heading in this direction.

  Is this a reaction to limited space?  Perhaps to unfavourable weather?  Cost?

  I personally think it's largely a reaction to space features of the cities.  The cities seem to have ceased to be merely 2D grids of buildings, but rather 3D matrices with multiple interconnects, bridging at every level of building, street, and undercity.

  What I would wish to see most, however, would cities with more roof-top farming/foliage.  It would be neat to lower the carbon footprint of even these mega cities. 

   

  • 4:51 pm
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