After their Mouse Trap Racers challenge, the Grade 8s switched their engineering hard hats to urban planner hats. For geography, the students had to build their own sustainable cities that could house at least 50,000 people. The challenge required that they consider five areas for their cities: energy, food production, transportation, waste management and nature conservation.
The first thing they had to do was decide on the climate and relief of their cities. Most groups gravitated to bountiful water sources such as lakes, waterfalls and oceans to harness hydro -power. Sunny climate was also a top choice for many groups. The shapes they have chosen for their cities are also very interesting, from traditional blocks to radials to shapes that have yet to appear in Google maps.
After looking at some of the best practices in other countries, the students incorporated research and imagination into drafts of their future cities. As they discussed and designed their cities, they constantly challenged each other on the livability and sustainability of each idea.
Some interesting ideas that showed up in their designs included:
- Energy: harnessing tidal power, building wind farms, installing solar panels on all buildings and even using waste as an energy source
- Food production: using vertical gardens, roof-top gardens, fishing as recreation and food or even promoting a vegan diet to minimize carbon footprint
- Transportation: Using underground Maglev, solar powered trains and buses, constructing extensive bike lane systems and promoting walking as a healthy lifestyle
- Waste management: Transforming food waste into fertilizers, building recycling plants next to manufacturing zones for raw materials and transforming waste into city sculptures
- Nature conservation: Parks and nature are interspersed in the city, stretches of untouched mountains and wetlands border the city
Some groups went beyond environmental sustainability and considered social sustainability by including subsidized housing to eliminate homelessness and providing jobs in vertical gardens giving those from lower income families a means to support themselves. Some groups have considered economic sustainability and included ways to help cities to be financially sustainable.
Ideas from these young minds never cease to amaze me. I would be looking forward to living in one of these cities myself!
