Their story, in their words…
My aim in this project was to create a sustainable city out of recyclable materials. I began by taking my original design and seeing how it could be refined in order to turn it into a workable model. I made a list of all the materials I thought I would need including: an MDF board for the base; wire and wool for the trees; styrofoam for the buildings; sponges for the houses; skewers for the wind turbine; matchsticks for the chairs, table and to hold up signs and an empty bottle of floor cleaner to use as the waste energy recycling centre. I also made use of many materials I already had at home- paints, glues, clingfilm and tin foil.
There were certain elements of the project that despite my best efforts proved less successful. Namely, the creation of a dome around the city. I made several attempts at putting this together, including creating a geodesic dome out of newspaper. But ultimately the size of the city made it unworkable. Another difficult element was creating the monorail which proved particularly tricky to keep upright. However, I eventually got it to stay in the right position through a judicious mix of wire, styrofoam, a clingfilm roll and a lot of luck. My city does not exactly match my design, both because of the challenge of getting the scale of the models right and because new ideas kept coming to me.
Overall, I am very pleased with how the city turned out. It achieves the right balance of the futuristic and the familiar. The city has all the amenities one would expect (schools, shops, hospitals, and hotels) and it is situated in beautiful scenic park lands with pleasant views, fountains, and water features. The idea is the city is entirely self-sufficient. It uses wastewater to create energy that powers the amenities in the city, including the monorail. There is a recycling centre to get rid of all environmentally problematic substances. Its numerous solar panels provide electricity, as does the wind turbine. Next to the hotel is an Ai Headquarters which helps all the city’s services run like clockwork, with a minimum of human interference. This will allow the inhabitants much more time for leisure and learning. It goes without saying the city is a carbon free zone with cars banned as a method of transportation. Only cycle lanes and of course the monorail.
As I built the city, my vision for it widened. There were several aspects that, if I was to revisit it in future, I would like to expand upon. The first of these, is obviously the dome itself. Its purpose is to protect the city from the damaging aspects of climate change, as well as strikes from meteorites and nuclear weapons. It is worth noting that the city incorporates a Threat Detection System (TDS) to provide early warning of incoming dangers. The second element I envisioned, was a parallel city underground, echoing cities like Montreal, which also have parts of their city below the surface- to protect them during the harsh winter months. I enjoyed the whole experience of not merely imagining something but bringing it practically to life. The broader point about my “Newtopia” is that unlike many visions of the future, it does not immediately strike the viewer as incredibly futuristic, but it recognises that in years to come successful cities will be sustainable cities.
I am proud of what I have created, and I hope to be able to donate my project to a local primary school to illustrate the importance of sustainability. Above all, I am very grateful for the unique opportunity that the foundation has given me to undertake this great challenge.
