The project begins with the question, “Is our city truly flat?”  When designing our current urban spaces, efficiency was prioritized, leading to the creation of cities based on the shortest possible paths. Fermat’s Principle of Least Time suggests that every action takes the shortest distance. While this principle explains the movement in most natural phenomena, it’s challenging to apply it directly to human activities. A city, being a habitat for human life, embodies a multitude of life activities. Although efficient urban design makes our lives convenient, it can overlook fundamental human behaviors. Can cities that ignore these innate behaviors truly be suitable for humans?

 

The drawbacks of efficiency-prioritized cities became starkly evident during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Transportation systems designed for human convenience became optimal pathways for virus transmission. The pandemic also highlighted the importance of the “third place,” as emphasized by Ray Oldenburg. These third places, which I consider spaces of utility rather than efficiency, already exist in our cities, bringing satisfaction to urban dwellers. These spaces of utility create new variable paths, contradicting the notion of the city being flat.