Cuidad-5

The Cuidad-5 arcology stands as the most impressive example of soft-tech in construction and is one of the largest arcologies on Earth (3.8.3).

Cuidad-5 is located in the rich wilderness of former Brazil. The Tree House, as it is sometimes known, is a marvel of engineering. Most of its superstructure is “grown” using a system of molecular nanotechnology to form a vine-like, organic exterior, hence the name. It is the brain child of a handful of research specialists who formed the Cuidad Group in 2196. Their early work focused on organic building materials but quickly evolved to incorporate genetic engineering.

Work on the arcology itself began as the by-product of an investor who lost momentum on several construction projects in South America. The Cuidad group needed a facility to conduct large-scale research, and their backer happened to have an unoccupied, mostly complete industrial complex. Cuidad used the opportunity to test some of its early organic building materials and techniques, and the rest is history.

80 years and 5 generations of Cuidad’s technology later, Cuidad-5 is a marvellous city reaching more than 7 km (4.4 mi) into the sky and spreading out over an ever-increasing diameter of more than 6 km (3.7 mi).

People
The city is home to nearly 60 million people, while the nearby urban area is home to nearly 8 million more. The people of Cuidad-5 enjoy one of the most comfortable arcologies on Earth, not only because of its extraordinary size, but also because of its administration’s commitment to the age-old arcology design model that puts people and the environment first.

Only the arcology itself grants citizenship, and Cuidad-5 is one of the few arcologies that accepts new citizens without massive fees and annual taxes. Instead, the city requires applicants for citizenship to pass a medical exam and provide both proof of employment and guarantee of continuing income.

Government and Travel Controls
The arcology and its surrounding urban sprawl are politically distinct but closely intertwined. Sometimes referred to as Cuidad-Low, the area around the arcology is not an official city-state. The administration of the arcology, the true and recognised city-state, have lone since abandoned efforts to control the growth of the sprawl, knowing full well it runs counter to the arcology model. The towering city is simply too powerful a draw.

The arcology is governed by an elected council which oversees the administration of the city. However, behind the elected council, there is an executive council comprised of the city’s senior researchers and arcology designers, whose role is to ensure that no elected council undermines the principles set out by the city’s original designers. The foremost of these principles is to adhere, as tightly as possible, to the model of arcology as a contained city with minimal environmental impact - a noble ideal, but one that carries no weight, given the condition of the planet.

Travel in and out of the arcology is relatively easy, although only citizens can remain inside the arcology for longer than one week without special permission. All visitors are assigned a T Pass.

Military
Cuidad-5 has a well-developed security force responsible for maintaining order and security. The arcology also contributes to the defence and policing of the sprawl outside, and has become well-known for its proficient handling of creatures and monsters of all sorts (4.2.1).