Village layout for Aquarian Age

i have made a basic blueprint for how a village can be laid out.

the ideal population of a commune is 200-300 people.

That looks oddly similar to that M.Knight Shyamalan movie, THE VILLAGE. Do we get Halloween costumes also?

While nice in theory I would hate to have to defend such a location, with four roads to watch that would take a serious crew to protect, not to mention all the perimeter that would need guards posted, plus roving guards inside. Given the size based on how many people you say would likely be living in such a community it would probably take close to 50 to 75 people to man all the entrance/egress points, perimeter watch and roving guards inside.

Originally posted by Helig
While nice in theory I would hate to have to defend such a location, with four roads to watch that would take a serious crew to protect, not to mention all the perimeter that would need guards posted, plus roving guards inside. Given the size based on how many people you say would likely be living in such a community it would probably take close to 50 to 75 people to man all the entrance/egress points, perimeter watch and roving guards inside.

you're thinking in old school terms. a new age is upon us

reply to post by Donnie Darko


With a new age supposedly upon us, shouldn't we also get out of the rut of doing things the 'old school' way as well? If we're going to have a chance to do thing's over and do them properly and responsibly this time with more fore thought and planning, then we shouldn't have sprawled out villages and cities. A smaller arcology could fit your two hundred people in much less space. Add a vertical farm and all that extra land can be used for recreational purposes, wildlife preservation, etc.

A new age is upon us......

What about the folks that don't realize that a new age is upon us? You know, the usual rift-raft...extremist, supremecist, gangstas, thieves, and the obligatory roving hordes of rapists and pillagers.

Man will be man.... aspiring to great heights, but not everybody is willing to climb the ladder.

Just how big is this going to be???

I mean theThe minimum amount of agricultural land necessary for sustainable food security, with a diversified diet similar to those of North America and Western Europe (hence including meat), is 0.5 of a hectare per person.
hectare is a land, measure equal to 100 ares, or 10000 square meters: equivalent to 2.471 acres so for 200 to 300 hundred folks that's a lot of ground

there are notes on how much land is needed

These are from speech notes from a guy named Jason Bradford, to a Rotary group in northern California. I don't know where he got them. The presentation used to be online here, but the link is broken, so I don't know where it is now.

Each person needs --
vegan food -- 3000 sq. ft.
a few eggs/week -- 3,500 sq. ft.
one chicken/week -- 24,300 sq. ft.
one cow/year -- 67,300 sq. ft.

Anyway here's a link on the subject you might want to read then make a revision to your master plan How much land does a person need

What if you used something akin to the "protected villages" established by the US Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War? Basically they were villages and associated farm fields surrounded by a fence with limited fortifications manned by Special Forces trained militia called CIDG (Civilian Irregular Defense Group).

bump

i find this EXTREMELY important guys.

Thanks for bumping your thread, without that, I never would have seen this.

This is, simply put, the worst survival idea I have seen in a long long time.

I'm not attacking you, or your idea, but there is no way this could work.

For starters, who are these 200 people, do you know them, do they need policing, did they sign up online, can any of them actually do anything of use?

Internet hub at the center of the commune circle? Alot of people that post on this site dont know this, but there are more important things in the world than being online.

I like the drawings, one can assume those are houses? Who is building this?

Why a circle? Defending a circle would be a logistical nightmare. I see a stream or river, is this potable? Where do you get rid of your waste?

What are the power sources? Wind, solar? Do you have storage for them? What happens when something wears out or breaks?

Whats with the welcome center?

Communal living has been discused at length on this site, and I honestly believe it can work to an extent, I know of 3 communes near me that are mostly self sustainable, I think you are on the right path thinking about a commune, but you need to step back and see what is feasible in your area and what isnt, and go from there.

To draw a picture and think people will flock to the idea probably isnt where I would start.

Nothing about farms, places to store food, shops like a blacksmith or carpenter, a hospital, but you have the internet hub and welcome center??

Priorities must have changed.

How does the world wide railroad work?

Really long bridges????

I have a small half acre of land surounded by camp sights. plan to have about 15 to 10 ppl live buildeing and gardaning the land as well as small teams of hunters to go get the venacin. and a river to go fish out of . plans are set when and if shtf. we all meet there whithin a two week span.

and i will bring my guitar for shur acoustic style! cant wait... yeah i can lol at first its gonna be a tuff life but after time we become aclamated to it

-peaceful

We somehow need a survival village, but we still have wireless internet?

Sometimes I wonder if people even know what true survival really is. Here's something for you to consider --

If TSHTF, there will be NO internet. There will be no electricity in my opinion, at least not for LONG while.

If you think that the country is going to collapse, or we are going to be attacked by foreign troops, or you think a CME is coming straight for us --

Whatever you are running from --
there will be no electricity and definitely NO internet.

Also, you can not defend a village with no barriers. Especially not in a circle.

You need to have at least 2, at best 3, sides completely enclosed by a mountain, water, or some other natural element. Otherwise, you will never be able to protect or defend it. Too much exposure.

I think the OP was leaning on the living setup like from that Leonardo Crapio movie "THE BEACH". The main crop would be Marijuana, one can smoke it, use it for gear, use as food "Brownies", and use it as bait. It will be such a happy establishment. Nothing but guitar music, naked people, and bonfires.

[edit on 5-5-2010 by prionace glauca]

i think this is a good model to start with to get an idea how to initially begin the task of settling successfully somewhere

however, i woud stress that proximity to natural and human threats would determine needs for maybe a fence or large wall, and location in general, and amount of sun would also determine location, somewhere that is always in the shade of a mountain range would not be best if you wanted to remain as close as possible to a 'crop-able' landscape (crops require constant attention for defending from wildlife as well as humans)

other than that, i didn't think there were too many details at all, just your picture, but as asimple 'go to' plan it would probably work great to start organizing things and creating a working social structure where survivors could flurish rather than struggle to survive

What are the "power sources"?

Gardens? Going to need fields to feed 200-300 people. How will these be tended? Irrigation from where? And if you use the stream, will it tap out water for drinking, etc? What if that stream dries up or is blocked? What if another village decides they need more water and divert it?

Latrines? Or are people just gonna dump their scat whereever they want?

Where are you going to bury the dead?

Railroad passing thru the area. Who's responsible for upkeep? How are they going to refuel? Powered by coal? Steam? Is there a source of either in the local area?

Animals to help with the farming? Where will they be? How will they be fed?

Just a few minor things to consider before you start putting in the internet router.

It's just a basic model. The gardens include farm, pasture, etc.

.

Instead of reinvinting the whell, may I suggest you look at some successful commune setups, or possibly some of the old fronteir settlements.

Remember, in a shtf situation, you will be much like the early settlers dealing with livestock, gardening and farming, defense from raiders, needs for water, sanitation, breaks from inclimate weather, and a means for developing trade and travel.

I would suggest trade, commerce, skills( blacksmith, carpenters, etc), and markets be at the center. Radiating out from that might be gardens/farms with the houses of farmers-settlers-craftsmen on perimeter set up in a defensive walled position. Little used pastures should also be interspersed between the gardens inside the walled area. Radiating out from the homes and walls would then be the main pastures and even larger gardens.

This way, in the event of raids or severe weather, the animals could be brought into a secured area, manure spread on rotated garden areas, also good for bringing in animals during birthing seasons...protect the young from predators. Also, in wall pastures could coral livestock while awaiting trade at market in town center.

May I also suggest that the village be in a triangle with each corner designed as a redoubt/stronghold in case of an attack/breach. Also, each layer of the village should be walled or strongly fenced...sort of a triangle in a triangle inside of a triangle...that way, there are fall back positions.

The town center would be fenced/walled...then the garden/pastures walled/fenced...then the homes/outer rim walled....and then the outside with outer fields/pastures.

A stream/river along the length of one of the outer walls would allow easy access to the water, keep it from contamination, and also provide an added defensive barrier. How much better to settle on a bluff overlooking a fork in a river/stream?

Anyway, in an ideal world..there would be no need for walls...but it aint no ideal world unfortunately.

lol seems the welcome center and the internet router would be the most important facilities here.