Integrated habitats - Matripolis

Abstract

Most cities have a major flaw. Their public spaces consist mostly of streets, where pedestrians and machine powered vehicles share the same space, as if these two movement systems were compatible. They are not. Matripolis proposes a new urban infrastructure where machines and pedestrians each have their own separate dedicated space (just as railed traffic has always been recognized as needing its own dedicated system). Another problem shared by most cities is the scarcity of green space. These spaces are mostly either confined to parks or marginal land not suitable for building on. Except for the wealthy few, couples wishing to start a family, recognizing the natural desire for children to play in a garden adjoining their home, often choose to move out of the city to the suburbs. But this creates other problems, such as disconnection from the diversity of social life that the city uniquely offers. Matripolis proposes a green infrastructure where social housing is directly juxtaposed to ample green space comprising community gardens, significant food production, recreation and play space in a setting friendly to life in general. Instead of people living in blocks, separated from each other by streams of traffic, Matripolis proposes living amphitheatres where self governing communities form around the modern equivalent of the ancient Greek Agora