What am I getting wrong? Please point out my bad ideas for art of a solarpunk swamp city

I've been thinking about trying to depict some of the ideas from this conversation: https://slrpnk.net/post/12735795, using a sort of flat, diagram-like style similar to this old photobash:

Though a bit more complex. The obvious answer is 'don't build cities in swamps' but we already have a bunch of them, and though I don't live there I recognize that they have a lot of unique cultural and historical value and are peoples' homes, so I'm interested in what a solarpunk-adapted version of these would look like.

At the same time, I know basically nothing about New Orleans or similar areas, have no background in civil engineering, and no qualifications to make this except for the capability to do so using an old version of GIMP. So I'd absolutely love to identify issues, places to make improvements, and things that are missing now rather than once I've spent days chopping up images and finessing them into something coherent.

So what'd I get wrong? What's unworkable, out of scale, or dangerous? What style of buildings or cultural touchstones would you like to see? What kind of plants are missing?

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41 comments

In an open channel/lake situation like that, you probably want some sort of wave breakers in front of the houseboats. Otherwise a passing larger boat would cause a lot of hazard.
But I would find a scenario like this with a smaller channel and development on both sides to be more realistic. Maybe search for some examples from Bangkok, which already has quite a bit of what you imaging in that regard. Also their water-busses are way cooler 😎
- Breakers are a good idea (or making it clear the channel is a narrow one). I'd like to show water agriculture and a ferry too if possible. One of the reasons I struggle with cityscapes is the scope creep - I keep wanting to add one more ideas until the image is overcrowded, awkwardly arranged, or has a funny aspect ratio. Then again, this sort of perspectiveless side view is a personal favorite because it simplifies the art tremendously. Maybe I'll try doing a set that can be arranged together horizontally to form one wide image...
  Thanks for the rec on Bangkok, that's a really good idea and I've got a bunch of reading to do. Are there any favorite water bus designs in particular (or anything else) you think I should make sure not to miss? Thanks again!
  
  These two links have some good pictures on the day to day use of the water busses:
  https://thethaiger.com/travel/bangkok-travel/quick-guide-to-navigating-bangkoks-canals-with-riverboats-and-ferries
  https://thaiest.com/thailand/bangkok/khlong-boat
  And if you search for "Khlong" and Bangkok you can find a lot of pictures from the small canals there. Most famously probably the floating markets, some pictures here:
  https://blog.tripcetera.com/floating-market-bangkok/
  
  This is so cool! Thank you - this definitely gives me a place to start

41 comments