Cities, nowadays, are scene of a fierce competition among citizens for resources. And as usual the rich and powerful have better access to jobs, amenities and facilities, even to natural features like micro-climate zones within metropolitan areas. This sort of inequality has been accompanied with urbanism for such a long time that even it has been manifested in settlement patterns of the city. Rich are usually living in the north, while south us home to poor and center is occupied with business and industry and agriculture roam the perimeter.
It seems that we are bounded to these fixed patterns, and so does the efficiency of our cities. But for thousand years, human race had a more flexible way of living: Nomadism. The nomads travelled in order to have better access to resources, be it jobs, food or better climate. They invented kinds of mobile shelter and adapted a very flexible life style. They also developed a system of prediction and planning, upon the result of which they each time chose the destination, the trail and the how-to of their seasonal immigrations.
Nowadays, metropolitan areas has become so vast that they contain several distinctive zones of settlement, work and even various micro-climates. This variety offers a lot of dynamics yet we are stuck to our fixed homes, workplaces and lifestyles. And in this manner we impose a lot of costs to our cities and to ourselves. What if we could live like an urban nomad, a wanderer inside the city walls?
In this presentation I propose inner city migration and Nomadism as a way to cope with serious lack of resources in our urban areas. I’ll try to study both Bedouins and modern urban nomads, and assessing the advantages and obstacles of moving toward nomadic lifestyle, whether remixing the demography of our cities, and not their physical features, could improve our living conditions?
4. A little History
“With the grace of god almighty,
And the pressure of marketplace
Humankind has urbanized himself!!!”
… but our cities are
… Problematic!
5. Problem!
Most important deficiencies with our cities:
• Expensive to manage
• Lack of viable resources
• Severe inequality
• A burden to environment
• Not FUN!
6. Why?
“my opinion”
FIXATION!
Distance!
Price!
Distribution or Connection!
7. So What?!
Radicalizing our lifestyle
Sticking to a location is not the only available
solution!
We have more sustainable options:
Nomadism
8. So What?!
Radicalizing our lifestyle
Sticking to a location is not the only available
solution!
We have more sustainable options:
Nomadism
9. Nomads have been
practiced a more
dynamic, sustainable
and adaptable system
of resource planning
and activity
distribution for
thousands of years.
10. Nomads
It’s first and foremost a
SURVIVAL STRATEGY.
We are bored
We are overcrowded
We are limited and restricted
CHANGE FREEDOM INTER-
DEPENDENCE
11. Urban Nomads
It’s first and foremost an
ADOPTED LIFESTYLE
The urban nomad is someone who refuses to
settle down into just one home but instead
chooses to live in multiple locations around
the globe. In order to do this, the urban
nomad relies on wireless technology to stay
connected to a modern way of life.
12. Old Nomads vs. Modern Nomads
Old Nomads Modern Nomads
Nomadic Hunter gatherers Freeganism! Slum recyclers …
Seasonal Construction Workers,
Pastoral Nomads
International Businessmen and women …
Peripatetic Nomads Freelancers …
13. Useful Characteristics
• Sharing and collaboration
• Living Sustainably
• Mixing and socializing yet Isolation
• Conquering space
• Adaptation
.
.
.
• They are always close to where they should!
14. Useful Characteristics
• Sharing and collaboration
• Living Sustainably MAXIMIZING THE MINIMAL
• Mixing and socializing yet optional Isolation
• Conquering space
• Adaptation
• Choice
.
.
.
• They are always close to where they should!