(Dynapolis,megalopolis and ecumenopolis)

dynapolis,megapolis and ecumenopolis summary

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Contents
DYNAPOLIS: .................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.C.A DOXIADIS .......................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1.(1939-1945).DYNAPOLIS: ..................................................................................................................... 2
1.2.ISLAMABAD: CITY PLANNING. ........................................................................................................ 5
1.3.SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION: ................................................................................................ 6
2.MEGALOPOLIS: ......................................................................................................................................... 10
2.1 CHARACTERISTICS ........................................................................................................................... 10
2.2 MEGALOPOLIS CREATION: ............................................................................................................. 10
2.3 EUROPE: ............................................................................................................................................... 10
3.ECUMENOPOLIS: ....................................................................................................................................... 12
AS A REALISTIC FUTURIST SET OF PREDICTIONS .......................................................................... 12
FICTIONAL TREATMENTS ..................................................................................................................... 12

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Explain the concepts of Dynapolis,Megapolis and ecumenopolis give
examples
DYNAPOLIS:
1.C.A DOXIADIS
 Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis(14 May 1913 –28 June 1975), often cited as C. A. Doxiadis, was a
Greek Architect and town planner.
 He became known as the lead architect of Islamabad, and later as the father of ekistics.
 He was the chief town planning officer of Greater Athens Area (1937-1938)and later worked as the
Head of department of regional and Town Planning, Ministry of Public works, Greece.
1.1.(1939-1945).DYNAPOLIS:
 Dynapolis is “the city of the future, conceived as a city which can expand and always be ready to
create a new centre and new neighbourhoods.”
 The central area would have the function to serve the entire city while the peripheral area was
composed of individual buildings or group of buildings.
 The expanding parabolic Dynapolis eventually took shape in rectilinear forms based on a rectilinear
system of axes.
 The reason for using rectilinear form was because “any synthesis of spherical or cylindrical houses
seems impossible, uneconomic and definitely non-urban.” (Doxiadis, Architecture in Transition,
1968)
 The Tigris was chosen as the main axis of Baghdad with the rest of the Dynapolis rested well in a
rectangular grid.

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Transition from parabolic to rectilinear Dynapolis © 1985, C. A. Doxiadis

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 First expansion of the urban settlement.
 30 miles in diameter.
 All part of the land it covers is not sterilised.
 The microorganisms in the soil no longer exist.
 The original animal inhabit ants have largely been banished.

Imposition of grid system in different scales © 1985, C. A. Doxiadis

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 Rivers are foul and the atmosphere is polluted.
 Climate and microclimate have retrogressed.
The first dynamic urban settlement - the early Dynapolis. This is the phase when small independent human
settlements when small independent human settlements with independent administrative units are beginning
to grow beyond their initial boundaries. From the economic point of view this development is related to
industrialisation, and from the technological point of view to the railroad era, which first made commuting
from distance points possible.
The settlements expand in all directions, instead of spreading only along the railway lines creating new
islands of dependent settlements around railway stations, as during the phase of the early Dynapolis. The
city is breaking its walls and spreading into the countryside in a disorganised manner.
1.2.ISLAMABAD: CITY PLANNING.
 Islamabad was an idea to create ‘City of Future’ with concept of Dynapolis; that is, an planned
unidirectional linear city as the only solution to cope with the growth of an explosive urbanization
era, relying on strong environmental elements, and a synthesis of town planning and architectural
principles.
 The plan indicates growth of functions in the direction of city’s future expansion.
 A unity of scale has been incorporated.
 The making of the Plan if Islamabad is an investigation and prospection into the landscape of the area
chosen as project site for the new capital of Pakistan. The idea, concept and protoform of Dynapolis
is conceived by Doxiadis is bound to find its manifestation in Islamabad.
 The translation of Dynapolis into a physical plan, guided by its protoform, landscape and intuition of
an architect are the basic elements that developed

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•The plan of Islamabad shows connectivity on all levels; within the city, natural landscape is integrated with
other systems of open spaces and other types of landscape, and also creates an urban system that is
connected to the natural areas surrounding the city
•The city is divided into 8 basic zones administrative, diplomatic enclave, residential areas, educational
sectors, industrial sectors, commercial areas, rural and green areas. Each sector has its own shopping area
and public park. Each sector was kept separated through green belts which also act as ‘Oxygen Generators’.
1.3.SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION:
 Islamabad is a planned city with an extensive road network laid out in a grid structure.
 The road networks The advantages of the clear hierarchy of residential communities, of the related
functions and of the transport system are apparent in the segregation of the various categories of
movements (i.e. high/low speed Road Traffic, Public • Transport, Bicycles, Pedestrians, etc.)
1.4.ISLAMABAD TODAY
•Islamabad today is not what it was designed for. It is no more isolated from the business and commercial
activities. Population in Islamabad has risen from 0.340 million to 1.124 million within 25 years.
•The increasing economic activities have given birth to high rise building, residential apartments, housing
schemes, educational institutions, industrial units and new markets.
•Islamabad is a “UNIQUE” example of a large new city “PLANNED FOR THE FUTURE AND BUILT
FOR THE PRESENT”, fully respecting the long-term planning.

Original Master Plan of Islamabad 1960

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Revised Master Plan of Islamabad 1991
Location of Bahria Town in Islamabad and Rawalpindi

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 Main axis through core of Islamabad :Capital Avenue.
 Looks towards the Presidential Palace located on top of a hill.
 Due to fixed road & location of administrative centre on a higher
level, this section of the capital – which is its brain centre and
pulsating heart - will dominate the city even after it has expanded
and fully grown along the patterns provided for.




 Each sector (Community Class V) of Islamabad is self-contained & self-supported wrt everyday life.
• Sub-divided into 3 or 4 smaller Communities (Class IV) by income groups of occupants.
 Centre of sector is the civic centre, containing shopping, business and civic activities.
 Each Class IV Community is subdivided into several Communities Class III, which are further
subdivided into Communities Class II.
 Arrangement of functions best serves the inhabitants of each sector and with least time required for
approach.
Pedestrian and Vehicle Traffic:
 Segregated by a road system where scales of
human & motor-vehicle movements differ.
 Pedestrians move within human community
though spatial hierarchy from small pedestrian
streets towards larger ones of a Class II
Community, then to centre of a Class III
Community, & so on. Spaces & perspectives
created a long way agree with same hierarchical
order.
 For roads leading to specific targets aesthetically
related and presenting a unity of scale.
 Extensive use of cul-de-sacs at end of access
roads. Pattern of motor traffic leading to houses
without interfering with pedestrian-street systems.
A Community Class V for
about 40, 000 people.
A Community Class IV for
about 12,000 people
A Community Class III
for about 3,000 people.

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• Street Design-The Positive Space:
Detached houses are the greatest challenge in terms of a proper shaping of space. • Houses are situated as
much as possible in accordance with the morphology of the site.
• House Design:
Plots vary from 111 sq. yards to about 3,000 sq. yards, depending on income group. Frontage dimensions of
plots are less than their depth. Most plots are rectangular. Special efforts were made to avoid irregular plots,
especially in low-income areas.


 Minimum Accommodation:
 No house has less than two rooms, a kitchen, WC, & a shower room.
 Sufficient space for outdoor living.
 Each house has closed, semi-covered or open living spaces.
 Supplied with running water & electricity, and connected with sewage system.

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2.MEGALOPOLIS:
This concept of a "megalopolis" was first proposed by the French geographer Jean Gottmann in his book
Megalopolis, a study of the northeastern United States. One prominent example of a megalopolis is the
Northeast megalopolis consisting of Boston, Hartford, Greater New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington,
Delaware, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and their vicinities.
The word megalopolis is a relatively new term which is used to call urban areas that have a large size, and in
which the number of habitants is very important. It is a set of metropolitan areas located nearby and that
together are an important population and economic contribution to the region in which they are located.
Megalopolis is formed as a consequence of city growth until contact is made with another influence area in a
different city and so on.
2.1 CHARACTERISTICS
 To be considered a megalopolis, the city must have at least 10 million
 The growth of these Cities is very fast
 They have a concentrated money market, which ranges from the country’s capital to major financial
institutions, stock exchanges and insurance companies.
 It forms a revolution in land distribution by creating a new pattern
of symbiosis between rural and urban, partly as a result of a new counterattack by manufacturers in
suburban areas.
 In terms of jobs and trade, it establishes a cycle of high population density, meaning that there are
many consumers and workers.
2.2 MEGALOPOLIS CREATION:
The creation of megalopolis or mega-cities occurs through a series of poli nuclearization phenomena.
Several interurban assemblages are formed thanks to infrastructure, health and environmental works, as well
as the quality of distribution and services.
In the course of their training, a number of different connectivity and traffic problems arise, leading to major
and important public works linked to transport and the structures of the internal and surrounding spaces
within the megalopolis. They are also formed through the effective articulation of the urban and interurban
elements that compose them. It is for this reason that major coordination and joint management efforts are
required in order to create a megalopolis.
2.3 EUROPE:

The Blue Banana The Gold Banana

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"Blue Banana" (also known as Hot Banana, Dorsal, European Megalopolis or European Backbone):
Liverpool–Manchester–Leeds–Birmingham–London–Brussels–Antwerp–Amsterdam–Rotterdam–The
Hague–Luxembourg–Rhine-Ruhr–Frankfurt am Main–Munich–Stuttgart–Strasbourg–Basel–Zürich–Turin–
Milan (110,000,000).
 Greater London (Larger Urban Zone) - London and surrounding urban area of South East
England (14 million).
 Chain of large towns in Northern England and English Midlands - Blackpool (261,088),
Preston (335,000), Blackburn (136,655), Burnley (149,796), Liverpool (1,365,900),
Warrington (158,195), Manchester (2,629,400), Leeds (2,161,200), Sheffield (1,299,400),
Chesterfield (100,879), Mansfield (158,114), Nottingham (666,358), Derby (236,738),
Leicester (441,213), Nuneaton (132,236), Coventry (336,452), Birmingham (2,284,093),
Telford (138,241), The Potteries (362,403) - Total (13,283,000).
 Rhine-Ruhr in the western part of Germany, including Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund and
Essen (11.5 million).
 Flemish Diamond - Brussels, Antwerp, and the central provinces of Flanders (5.5 million).
 The Randstad in the Netherlands is a conurbation with approximately 7.5 million
inhabitants. It consists of the four largest Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague
and Utrecht), and the surrounding areas. If the adjacent Brabantse Stedenrij (Eindhoven,
Tilburg, Breda, 's-Hertogenbosch and Helmond) is included, its population would be around
9.5 million.
 Milan metropolitan area in Italy - With 3,7 million. According to OECD, with
approximately 7.5 million. Potentially some parts of the Swiss Canton Ticino can be
considered within the metropolis, thus making it a transnational city; however, this is not
recognized by the OECD definition.
"Golden Banana" (or European Sunbelt): Turin–Genoa–Lyon–Monaco–Nice–Toulon–Marseille–Nîmes–
Montpellier–Narbonne–Perpignan–Toulouse–Andorra– Manresa– Girona–Barcelona–Tarragona–Castellón
de la Plana–Sagunt–Valencia–Alicante–Murcia–Cartagena (30,000,000).
 Turin economic region in Italy: Piedmont centre and south area (4,100,000).
 Genoa metropolitan area in Italy (1,500,000).
 Lyon economic region in France: Rhône-Alpes river area (5,500,000).
 Nice metropolitan area in France: Monaco is included due to its economy importance
(1,100,000).
 Toulon metropolitan area in France (600,000).
 Marseille metropolitan area in France (1,800,000).
 Montpellier metropolitan area in France (500,000).
 Toulouse economic region in France: Andorra is included due its economy importance
(1,500,000).
 Perpignan metropolitan area (300,000).
 Greater Barcelona: Coastal area of Catalonia (6,100,000).
 Valencia economic region in Spain: Including Sagunt area (2,200,000).
 Murcia-Alicante economic region in Spain: including Cartagena and Benidorm
(1,900,000).
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"Green Banana" (also known as East Banana, New Banana, Young Banana, East Poland-Centrope-
Adriatic or Vistula-Danube Economic River): Gdańsk–Bydgoszcz–Warsaw–Łódź–Kielce–Kraków–
Katowice–Ostrava–Olomuc–Brno–Wien–Bratislava–Budapest–Zagreb–Ljubljana–Trieste–Koper
(21,000,000).
 Centrope in Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, usually included is Budapest
but is not oficially part of it (11,000,000).

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3.ECUMENOPOLIS:
Ecumenopolis (from Greek, meaning world, and (polis) meaning city, thus a city made of the whole world;
pl. ecumenopolises or ecumenopoleis) is a word invented in 1967 by the Greek city planner Constantinos
Doxiadis to represent the idea that in the future urban areas and megalopoleis would eventually fuse and
there would be a single continuous worldwide city as a progression from the current urbanization and
population growth trends. Before the word ecumenopolis had been coined, the American religious leader
Thomas Lake Harris (1823–1906) mentioned city-planets in his verses, and science fiction author Isaac
Asimov used the city-planet Trantor as the setting of some of his novels.
Doxiadis also created a scenario based on the traditions and trends of urban development of his time,
predicting at first a European eperopolis ("continent city") which would be based on the area between
London, Paris, and Amsterdam.
AS A REALISTIC FUTURIST SET OF PREDICTIONS
While the idea of one continuous global city plays itself out in a number of works of science fiction, the
book itself was a serious attempt to consider long run landscape changes resulting from large scale urban
expansion. It was never conceived that all land on Earth would be paved over; rather that urban development
would extend in ribbons across land masses. A review of the current nighttime lights of the Earth reveals that
this type of pattern has emerged in some places. This land development is highly correlated with economic
development.
The total global population was modeled ranging from 15-50 billion. Doxiadis recognized constraints on
development, and concluded a 15 billion global population, mostly concentrated along linear strips of
urbanized development, was the likely scenario. It should be recognized that in this future growth scenario
development would level off and be sustainable and that most of the global land area would remain open
space.
FICTIONAL TREATMENTS
In modern science fiction, the ecumenopolis has become a frequent topic. Capitals of galactic empires are
typically portrayed as ecumenopoleis. Famous examples are:
 A future or alternative Earth, for example:
o Earth in a timeline altered by the Borg in Star Trek: First Contact.
o Holy Terra, the Earth of the far future timeline depicted in Warhammer 40,000.
o Earth in the Asimov Mystery Caves of Steel to a lesser degree (large areas are unenclosed,
although areas the size of States are covered in metal).
 The planet Trantor, capital of the Galactic Empire in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series.
 The Chung-Kuo series by David Wingrove is primarily set 200 years in the future in mile-high,
continent-spanning cities made of a super-plastic called "ice".
 Irk from Invader Zim Irken homeworld and imperial capital of the Irken Empire.
 Coruscant, and many others, from the Star Wars galaxy.
 The planet Helior, capital of the galactic empire in Harry Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero.
 Hearth, the Pierson's Puppeteers' homeworld from Ringworld by Larry Niven.
 Several planets from the computer game series StarCraft.
 Ravnica: City of Guilds is both the name of the ecumenopolis and the name of a three-expansion
block in the CCG, Magic: the Gathering.
 Byzantium Secundus, the capital of the Known Worlds in the Fading Suns game universe.