New Capital ideas thread- NE

[Simfan34]

Although the Honorable Governor posted it first, I thought of it first, so this is my baby! Some ideas for the Region's new capital, which I will call for now "Berger", after our first governor.

One may drive about Berger's wide avenues:



On them there are many Regional office blocks, all in conformance to the restrictions placed on height in the Civic Center:





Berger City Hall gives the Regional Capitol Building a run for its money:



The Washburn Auditorium is a center for theatre and social gatherings:



Fezzy Square lies in the heart of the Civic Center and is centered upon a monumental fountain:



Behind the Capitol Building lies a vast square, from which begins Nym Avenue:



And here is a memorial to someone:



Here we again gaze upon Nym Avenue from the capitol. Surely future generations shall look in awe at this city and deem it them among the most gracious in the Americas, perhaps exceeding Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Rio de Janiero, and perhaps Nyman itself. In time they may even consider it superior to any other city in the world.

[Emperor SJoyce]

We've got a pentagram containing a maze that's several stories high and made out of black marble. No stealing our idea.

[Simfan34]

Grand civic spaces are the cornerstone of Berger. But the human scale is the defining element of the city, a rejection of the soulless expanses of modern suburbia and an adherence to traditional community forms, the living embodiment of both New Urbanism and the City Beautiful movement.

Here resides the Governor of the Northeast Region, in a house neither pretentious nor underwhelming, but understated and elegant. The vast gardens lend themselves to enchanting outdoor entertaining:

Small, efficient houses are the order of the day in Berger's contained suburbs, like the Governor's home they do not engorge themselves in unnecessary space. Their plans lead to a cozy residence where strong familial bonds can be forged:













These outlying towns- they are towns, not sprawl- will of course have centers and downtowns of their own. Nowhere in the metropolitan regions may one see a megamall or a strip shopping center, the traditional main street and downtown department store shall take their place:









Next: Opera, University.

[Senator Snowstalker]

oh god

[Senator Napoleon]

Actually, I have previously tried to make a new capital. You thought of it second!

[Governor Scott]

Can these be the interiors of some offices?



And then maybe this could be the Assembly floor..

[Ѕenator Αverroës]

This looks great Simfan, but we'll have to discuss wide avenues and height restrictions (neither of which I favor) in more detail.

Now, to contribute an idea: latitudinal streets should be named after former Northeast Governors, while longitudinal streets should be named after former Northeast Senators.

[Senator Napoleon]

Maybe we can put something cool at the corner of Napoleon and Napoleon.

[Simfan34]

This looks great Simfan, but we'll have to discuss wide avenues and height restrictions (neither of which I favor) in more detail.

Now, to contribute an idea: latitudinal streets should be named after former Northeast Governors, while longitudinal streets should be named after former Northeast Senators.

I'm pressed for time, but let's see. Wide avenues? Bad for walkers I suppose, but I think places like Paris, Vienna, and Milan allay such concerns- they have wide avenues and I've walked through them with ease. Height restrictions- less restrictions than codes. In the civic center the building must be the same height- of course towers and domes of specific buildings are exempt. It would lend itself to an elegant regularity. Perhaps there can be a La Defense/ Canary Wharf type development elsewhere, but the center should be uniform.

[ModerateCoward]

No construction below 2 stories high, 3 stories in the commercial areas

[Ѕenator Αverroës]

I tend to favor 6-12 stories, with most streets being very narrow (less than 20-30 feet wide). Ample park space will prevent the city from seeming to claustrophobic. The main avenues can be considerable wider.

[Senator Snowstalker]

I would like to stump for a town close to me--in fact, in my county--Columbia, Pennsylvania.

In the real world (America), it was intended to become the capital (hence the fact it was named Columbia), but got cheated out after the capital was agreed to be put in the South.

[Simfan34]

I tend to favor 6-12 stories, with most streets being very narrow (less than 20-30 feet wide). Ample park space will prevent the city from seeming to claustrophobic. The main avenues can be considerable wider.

The heights I can agree with, although in the center at least I'd really like a uniform height. In places like Washin...err Nyman, almost all new buildings are built to the limit, leading to an most pleasing uniform effect. As for streets I'm imagining an array of radial avenues and smaller streets, but I like wider sidewalks. However, again, the center is to be scattered with imposing buildings, streets too narrow would ruin their effect. Overall streets should be wider than your average here, but no one would be  routing highways through the downtown.

My selection of Lenox, MA came from its fairly  central position and not too developed character- the town will be completely razed, of course, butof course we will look at other sites.

[Ѕenator Αverroës]

Imposing buildings work well as focal points, e.g. at the termination of a reasonably large avenue. But to be honest, I don't care for most architecture described as "imposing." It tends to overwhelm the streetscape and ruin relationships at the scale of the pedestrian. A capital can sometimes be an exception to this general rule; I do believe that our new capital's design should say something about civic pride in the Northeast.

If you're interested in the radiant form, we'll have to be careful. As you say, some cities (like Paris) pull it off, but it's easy to create something that's pleasing to look at from above but impractical and aesthetically lacking from the ground.

[ModerateCoward]

I would like to stump for a town close to me--in fact, in my county--Columbia, Pennsylvania.

In the real world (America), it was intended to become the capital (hence the fact it was named Columbia), but got cheated out after the capital was agreed to be put in the South.

I agree, that is quite unjust, the founding fathers should have never compromised with the devil(South, not the British).

[Senator Napoleon]

Are you really trying to name our capital after the guy who started the Deluge thread?

[Hatman]

And what state will get to have the capital? Or are we to come up with a regional capital district?

[Simfan34]

Are you really trying to name our capital after the guy who started the Deluge thread?

He was our first governor.

[Senator Napoleon]

Are you really trying to name our capital after the guy who started the Deluge thread?

He was our first governor.

I would rather see New Paris as the name. We have New London, New Britain, New York, New Haven, and so on.

[asexual trans victimologist]

I'm not sure Lenox is the best location, mainly because it abuts two ranges of high hills (the Berkshires and Taconics) to the east and west. Is hilly terrain accounted for in Simfan's urban planning concept? If not I would suggest somewhere either in the Pioneer Valley above Northampton or the Hudson Valley below Albany.

[Simfan34]

Are you really trying to name our capital after the guy who started the Deluge thread?

He was our first governor.

I would rather see New Paris as the name. We have New London, New Britain, New York, New Haven, and so on.

New Paris? Sounds parvenu.

[Simfan34]

I'm not sure Lenox is the best location, mainly because it abuts two ranges of high hills (the Berkshires and Taconics) to the east and west. Is hilly terrain accounted for in Simfan's urban planning concept? If not I would suggest somewhere either in the Pioneer Valley above Northampton or the Hudson Valley below Albany.

Interesting, I appoint you surveyor- do find more sites!

[asexual trans victimologist]

I'm not sure Lenox is the best location, mainly because it abuts two ranges of high hills (the Berkshires and Taconics) to the east and west. Is hilly terrain accounted for in Simfan's urban planning concept? If not I would suggest somewhere either in the Pioneer Valley above Northampton or the Hudson Valley below Albany.

Interesting, I appoint you surveyor- do find more sites!

I recommend looking into the current sites of Holyoke, MA (not ideal for a new urban hub since it's already near an existing one, but other than that the location is great for a planned city and has ready access to two arterial interstate highways and a major navigable river, whereas Lenox has one highway and no river); Whately, MA (one arterial highway, one major river, and more open space available for use than the Holyoke site, but you'd need to be careful of land conservation because of the highly agricultural current nature of the area); Castleton-on-Hudson, NY (similar specs to the Holyoke site but has the advantage of somewhat greater distance from the existing Albany urban area); Windsor Locks, CT (downstream of the Springfield urban area that includes Holyoke, a fairly expansive area geographically speaking, has the advantage of an existing international airport); or Hudson, NY (similar specs to the Whately site but in the opposite direction relative to your originally planned location). I would personally favor Whately or Castleton-on-Hudson.  With Windsor Locks we run the risk of contributing to a remorseless belt of sprawl from the southern flanks of Mt Tom in Massachusetts all the way down the river to Long Island Sound. Every effort was made to take relative centrality of location within the Northeast into account.

[Simfan34]

I'm not sure Lenox is the best location, mainly because it abuts two ranges of high hills (the Berkshires and Taconics) to the east and west. Is hilly terrain accounted for in Simfan's urban planning concept? If not I would suggest somewhere either in the Pioneer Valley above Northampton or the Hudson Valley below Albany.

Interesting, I appoint you surveyor- do find more sites!

I recommend looking into the current sites of Holyoke, MA (not ideal for a new urban hub since it's already near an existing one, but other than that the location is great for a planned city and has ready access to two arterial interstate highways and a major navigable river, whereas Lenox has one highway and no river); Whately, MA (one arterial highway, one major river, and more open space available for use than the Holyoke site, but you'd need to be careful of land conservation because of the highly agricultural current nature of the area); Castleton-on-Hudson, NY (similar specs to the Holyoke site but has the advantage of somewhat greater distance from the existing Albany urban area); Windsor Locks, CT (downstream of the Springfield urban area that includes Holyoke, a fairly expansive area geographically speaking, has the advantage of an existing international airport); or Hudson, NY (similar specs to the Whately site but in the opposite direction relative to your originally planned location). I would personally favor Whately or Castleton-on-Hudson.  With Windsor Locks we run the risk of contributing to a remorseless belt of sprawl from the southern flanks of Mt Tom in Massachusetts all the way down the river to Long Island Sound. Every effort was made to take relative centrality of location within the Northeast into account.

Very interesting selections, I thank you for scoping them out. I've been looking at them and weighing their merits I found another possible site, and I wanted your opinion on it. Northwest of Newburgh, NY, there is a sizable tract (372 sq mi by one count) of fairly flat land bounded roughly by I-84, I-87, and NY-17. It's fairly rural, and on the southeast corner lies an international airport- Stewart.

Some info in the existing "metropolitan area":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poughkeepsie%E2%80%93Newburgh%E2%80%93Middletown_metropolitan_area

[Ѕenator Αverroës]

This thread is truly full of "capital" ideas.