Model City

Redefining Urban Futures: Toward Ideal and Inclusive Cities

What would an ideal model city be like?

With the rise of factories in major cities, people left rural areas in search of a better quality of life. This shift brought numerous benefits at the time, but today, we can witness the decline of this mindset.

The majority of the population, especially in Western countries like Brazil and the United States, faces issues related to obesity. This is a consequence of commercially available food with low nutritional quality, coupled with the challenges of living in small urban apartments, the daily stress of long work hours, and lengthy commutes averaging around 2 hours per day.

The cities of the future are smart cities: well-planned urban areas designed for their natural growth into metropolises. They evolve until the entire state becomes entirely functional for all stages of a person’s life.

An ideal infrastructure for larger cities with a high quality of life involves fewer cars, prioritized public transportation with dedicated lanes, and a well-educated population on recycling.

In smaller cities, the quality of life naturally tends to be higher. There’s more space for larger houses, personal gardens, and yards, traditional hospitals, and groceries that cater to all human needs within smaller spaces. Here, the benefit lies in socialization and human interaction, where it’s natural for most residents in a smaller city to know each other over the course of their lives.

Large homes require an energy exchange for their maintenance. With your own garden, space, and privacy, you’re able to move around more and naturally maintain good health.

An entire state should have its unique personality and functionality without depending on other states or countries. Similar to what’s seen in Europe today, where young people from Portugal, France, or Italy feel the need to immigrate to other countries offering job opportunities that value their skills. This also happens in Brazil, where young individuals from states like Parana or Minas Gerais migrate to the major city of Sao Paulo for better salaries.

A proposal suggests that large cities culturally recognize themselves as a young center for development. During the phase of life when a young person experiences productivity and the need for professional advancement, they willingly reside in smaller apartments in major cities in exchange for collaborating productively with other young individuals in their learning stages. This stimulates the market with revolutionary ideas put into practice. Meanwhile, their family bases remain in the suburbs of the same state. Young people also tend to be more open to public transportation compared to the elderly, who prefer comfort.

There’s also the concept of communal living in large cities: young individuals with similar interests and tastes, but no familial connections, living under the same roof. This fosters a sense of community and affection. Unlike shared living spaces, these communal homes prioritize the identity of the housemate over immediate financial collaboration. Such communities create friendships that can last a lifetime, making life in major cities emotionally more comfortable.

This idea would also be interesting for elderly individuals choosing to live in major cities. They can practice socialization and shared activities without the need for nursing homes or family care. This approach also facilitates the costs of hiring a nursing professional since other elderly individuals in the same house can assist each other or collectively reduce private assistance expenses. Additionally, these houses can be equipped specifically for the elderly, with support aids in bathrooms and small gardens around the house.

With the advent of services like Uber, the need for private cars in major cities is diminishing. Residents can even share a private car, taking turns in using it alongside public transportation for simpler journeys.

All life cycles are crucial for a country’s development, even if their results aren’t immediately visible.

For a state and country to truly thrive without the threat of a collective exodus or population crisis, they must exhibit openness, professional respect (fair and open hierarchies for new professionals in the job market), and emotional support (encouragement for childbirth and families—no matter the family structure—and respect and even admiration for the wisdom of the elderly).

The natural cycles of life follow some universal laws: from 0 to 9 years old, it’s a phase of playfulness and affection. From 10 to 19, it’s the phase of discovering identity. From 20 to 29, it’s the phase of forming habits, beliefs, intellectual and professional learning, and relationship building. From 30 to 39, it’s the phase of creation: the result of your personal identity combined with the new relationships and opportunities that society has presented to you until then. From 40 to 49, you enter the age of the soul: all your work until now is converted into emotional karma. You’re still very productive professionally until your 50s, but now, you acquire new values less focused on society and more on personal and soulful satisfaction. From 50 to 59: a breaking away from your previous lifestyle. It’s a time for new adventures and discoveries. 60 to 69: community and family become essentially important to you. 70 to 79: spirituality comes into play. Things that made sense before might not anymore. What was once personally and then professionally prioritized, and then family-oriented, now becomes social or collective for you. You become an elder: you gain the experience of life cycles. In ancient cultures, you’d be a Shaman or even a suitable age to become a politician. After 80, it’s not relevant to mention here, but metaphysically, you could live up to 120!

Respecting the life cycles of a citizen, you’ll see that many medical problems often attributed to natural aging may disappear.

Cultural criticisms: For the formation of a model culture, the encouragement of well-formed values and integrity should be socially elevated over the pursuit of wealth.

For the formation of a model citizen, the idols and inspirations of a young person should encourage the elevation of the soul rather than following the body’s natural instincts. A culture where religion or spirituality is encouraged should not be culturally felt in a repressive manner, and its spiritual leaders should serve as good examples.

Barbara Gama – Nov 12th 2023