Paradise City

Paradise City Paradisa
City
View of part of the Canalis Sancti Petri, with the Altorius Building in the center
Country	Blackhelm Confederacy
Founded	68 AD
Government
• Praefecti Urborum	Domenius Silverbeard
Area
• City	2,852 km2 (1,101 sq mi)
Population  (2015)
• Density	14,025/km2 (36,320/sq mi)
• Urban	39,808,506
• Metro	102,160,732
Demonym	Paradisian

Paradise City is the capital and largest city of the Blackhelm Confederacy. Paradise City is a major political, scientific, cultural, and financial center for the Blackhelm Confederacy as well as the entire continent of Hesperidesia, and serves as home to the headquarters of numerous international organizations.

The city has served as the capital of both the modern Blackhelm Confederacy as well as its predecessor, the Empire of Exponent. It is considered the center of Imperial culture, having served as the home of numerous artists, scientists and sports figures and because of the presence of museums, academic and political institutions and theaters

History

Early History and Settlement

The first European settlers arrived in the area that is currently Paradise City in 68 AD, as part of the group of Christian exiles fleeing the Persecutions of Nero in Rome. These early settlers established a small settlement in the area that is presently Ponta Paradisa, and then sent word back to Rome that a safe haven had been established beyond the Pillars of Hercules.

This led to the several additional waves of Christians arriving in the area, many of whom set down stakes in the fledgling settlement at Ponta Paradisa. As the settlement grew, however, it became of focus of conflict with local tribal groups, some of whom began to raid the settlement. In 87 AD, in response to these raids, Valerius I launched a campaign against the local tribal groups, pushing down away from the landing areas and expanding the footprint of the city.

Growth of the city

Following the successful campaigns of Valerius I, the city of Animi was founded north of Ponta Paradisa in the Fontus lagoon, where city planners believed the lagoons waters would serve as a natural, powerful barrier to protect residents from attack. Steadily, the towns of Mirus, Cervus, Astrum, Blandita, and Carisma formed in the lagoon as well.

In 376 AD, following repeated raids against Ponta Paradisa by pirate bands, it was decided to move the Imperial residence off of Ponta Paradisa, and into the center of the lagoon, placing it in the center of the towns and creating the beginning of a dedicated canal system in the city.

In 811 AD, construction of the area currently known as the Historic District began, with engineers developing a dedicated canal system to separate neighborhoods and facilitate trade. At this time the older neighborhoods, which became known as the Inner City, we carved into the characteristic rounded shape, making it appear like a series of concentric wheels with the Historic District outside, the Inner City inside, and the Imperial Palace at center.

By 1510, the increased population prompted the development of the area now know as the Old City, which, following on the concentric design, was build as a circle encapsulation the Historic District. In lieu of walls, city planners created the enormous Canalis Sancti Petri, which was wide and deep enough to allow several of even the largest ships of the time to easily sail up from Paradise Bay into the city.

In the 1930's, the most recent portion of the city, the New City section, was developed, serving as yet another concentric layer wrapping around the Old City, with the Canalis Sancti Petri serving as a neighborhood dividing line.

Modern History

Paradise City served as the hub of cultural and intellectual life throughout the lifespan of the Empire of Exponent. When the Empire collapsed in 1996, leaders in Paradise City moved to reform a new state from the ashes, creating the Blackhelm Confederacy in 1997. Since then, the city has undergone significant Modernization, especially in the areas along the shorefront near Marevisum.

Geography

Climate

In the Köppen climate classification system, Paradise City has a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw) that borders on a tropical monsoon climate (Am). Paradise City experiences two rainy seasons, with the heaviest rains falling from April to July and a weaker rainy season in October and November. There is a brief relatively dry spell in August and September and a longer dry season from December to March.

Monthly rainfall between May and July averages over 16 inches, while in August and September it falls to just under 8 and in December reaches as low as 0.8. The main dry season is accompanied by winds from the Salacia Neptunis, which between December and early February can be quite strong. The highest maximum temperature ever recorded in Paradise City was 103 °F, and the minimum was 42 °F.

Climate data for Paradise City
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	32.2 (90.0)	33.1 (91.6)	32.7 (90.9)	32.1 (89.8)	30.9 (87.6)	29.2 (84.6)	28.1 (82.6)	28.1 (82.6)	28.9 (84.0)	30.4 (86.7)	31 (88)	31.9 (89.4)	30.7 (87.3)
Average low °C (°F)	22.3 (72.1)	23.5 (74.3)	23.8 (74.8)	23.6 (74.5)	23.1 (73.6)	22.6 (72.7)	22.1 (71.8)	21.7 (71.1)	21.9 (71.4)	22.3 (72.1)	22.6 (72.7)	22.4 (72.3)	22.7 (72.8)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	14.3 (0.56)	42 (1.7)	77.1 (3.04)	142.4 (5.61)	204.8 (8.06)	312.2 (12.29)	256.9 (10.11)	112.4 (4.43)	167.1 (6.58)	135.8 (5.35)	54 (2.1)	19 (0.7)	1,538 (60.53)
Average rainy days	1.5	2.7	6.4	8.9	12.4	16.2	13.2	11.6	12.7	10.9	4.9	1.4	102.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours	164.3	169.5	173.6	180	176.7	114	99.2	108.5	114	167.4	186	192.2	1,845.4
Source: Astyrian Meteorological Organization

Canals

As Paradise City expanded over the years, the leaders of the city constructed new canals to serve as additional layers of defense as well as modes of transportation around the city. The result is a series of concentric canal rings separating each section of the city. The largest canal by far, the Canalis Sancti Petri, was constructed during the 20th century, and separates the New City section from the Outer City area.

Architecture

Paradise City's architecture over the centuries has greatly developed, especially from the Classical and Imperial Roman styles to modern glass and steel architecture. Parside City was for a period one of the world's main centerpieces of classical architecture, and helped to bring a number of new ideas to Astyria. At the height of the Exponential Empire, the city became one of the main centres of Renaissance and Baroque architecture.

Early Settlement Architecture

Having fled Rome, many of the initial inhabitants brought with them Roman ideas and stylistic choices for their new city. Throughout the city, many of these ancient structures can still be seen and a handful, including the Paradisian Arena and the Senate building, are still in use today, nearly two thousand years after their original completion.

Medieval

Exponential power during the Medieval period has manifested itself in the form of dozens of basilicas, cathedrals, statues, and fountains that can still be found across the city. Some basilicas tracing their history to this time are the Beata Virgo Maria, Angelo Domini, and the Annunciato Dominicia.

Height of Imperial Power

Palatium Balbinius as seen from the front gates

Paradise City was a major world center during the height of the Exponential Empire and was profoundly affected by wealth and triumphs of the period. Among others, a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture in the city is the Platea del Luce Evangeliste. During this period, the great aristocratic families of the Empire flaunted their riches by building opulent dwellings as the Palatium Agrippus, the Palatium Divinitia, the Palatium Balbinius, the Palatium Ionius, the Palatium ad Honorem (now seat of the Confederate High court), the Palatium Populi, and the Villa Francisci .

Neo-Classical

After the Albandaean Crisis of the 1890's, Paradise City experienced a brilliant period of architectural and cultural rebirth. During this time, neoclassicism, a building style influenced by the architecture of antiquity, became a predominant influence in Paradisian architecture. During this period, many great palaces in neoclassical styles were built to host ministries, embassies, and other governing agencies. One of the best-known symbols of Imperial neoclassicism is the Monument of Tiberius III or the "Altar of the Fatherland", where the Grave of the Unknown Soldier, built in memory to Imperial dead in the Albandaean Crisis and the Great Astyrian War, is located.

Fascist

Palatium Hesperidesia

The Fascist regime that ruled in Hesperidesia between the end of the Great Astyrian War and the end of the Second Fascist War had its showcase in Paradise City. On Brightglass' orders, construction crews built new avenues and piazzas, constructed upon the ruins of roads, houses, churches and palaces erected during former Imperial rule.

Architectonically, Fascism in a first stage favored the most modern movements of the time, like Rationalism, and incorporated this into many of its buildings. Parallel to it, in the 1920s another style emerged, Novaroma, characterized by its links with ancient Roman architecture. One important realization in the latter style is the Forum Brightglass, now Forum Foederate, by Decius Yellowcap. Undoubtedly, however, the most important contribution of the Fascist era to Paradise City is the leveling and reconstruction to create the New City, designed in 1938 by Marcellus Steelman. The most representative buildings of New City are the Palatium Hesperidesia and the Palatium Ravus, both of which were designed as government offices to showcases the might and wealth of the bruised Empire.

Glass and Steel

Beginning in the early 1880s, architectural pioneers explored steel-frame construction with the use of large areas of plate glass, but the style was not particularly possible and was far surpassed by the more popular neo-classical designs prevalent at the time. With the construction of the New City in the 1920's and 30's, however, architects began to experiment a bit more in this fashion, and by the early 1960's this design became all the rage in Paradise City, as developers squabbled to construct the newest, tallest, and shiniest glass and steel buildings possible.

Laurentius Fletcher was perhaps the New City's most influential architect. Realizing that the skyscraper represented a new form of architecture, he discarded historical precedent and designed buildings that emphasized their vertical nature. This new form of architecture became known as the "Commercial Style," and quickly came to dominate the ancient city's skyline. This style made sense, as the New City was constrained to only a select few of the cities rings, wedged between the Calanis Sancti Petri and the Canalis Valerius, and so land use had to be maximized. The older, widespread palace type architecture was no longer viable in this circumstance, and the only logical answer was to build up, up, and up.

Parks and Fountains

Gardens of the Villa Barbius

Public parks and nature reserves cover a large area in Paradise City, and the city has one of the largest areas of green space among Astyrian capitals. The most notable part of this green space is represented by the large number of villas and landscaped gardens created by the Imperial Exponential aristocracy. While most of the parks surrounding the villas were destroyed during the building boom of the late 19th century, some of them remain. The most notable of these are Villa Barbius, Villa Aurelius, and Villa Dorus. Villa Dorus is west of the Borimii hill comprising some 1.8 square kilometres (0.7 sq mi). Also on the hill there is Villa Scopius, with playgrounds for children and shaded walking areas. The old hippodrome is another large green space: it has few trees, but is overlooked by several rose gardens. Nearby is the lush Villa Claudia, close to the gardens surrounding the Baths of Tiberia. The Villa Barbius garden is the best known large green space in Paradise City, with famous art galleries among its shaded walks. Paradise City also has a number of regional parks of much more recent origin.

The city is also famous for its numerous fountains, built in all different styles, from Classical and Medieval, to Baroque and Neoclassical. The city has had fountains for more than two thousand years, and they have provided drinking water and decorated the plateas of Paradise City. During the early days of the empire, in 498 AD, according to Sextus Julius Frontinus, the consul who was named curator aquarum or guardian of the water of the city, Paradise City had nine aqueducts which fed 39 monumental fountains and 591 public basins, not counting the water supplied to the Imperial household, baths and owners of private villas. Each of the major fountains was connected to two different aqueducts, in case one was shut down for service.

During the 16th and 17th century the Emperors reconstructed a number of the older aqueducts and built new display fountains to mark their termini, launching the golden age of the Paradisian fountain. The fountains of Paradise City, were expressions of the new style of Imperial art. They were crowded with allegorical figures, and filled with emotion and movement. In these fountains, sculpture became the principal element, and the water was used simply to animate and decorate the sculptures. They, like baroque gardens, were a visual representation of confidence and power of the ever expanding Empire.

Harbor Islands

The harbor of Paradise City is home to dozens of islands, including Acyra, Chremisa, and Griffincrest Island, among others. There are also several fortified islands as well, which have served as defenses for Paradise City for centuries.

Economy

Being the capital city of the Blackhelm Confederacy, Paradise City hosts all the principal institutions of the nation, like the Chancellery, the Senate, the High Court, and the diplomatic representatives of all nations with relations with the Confederacy. Many international institutions are also located in the city, which also hosts major international and worldwide political and cultural organisations.

The economy of Paradise City proper is largely dominated by services, high-technology companies (IT, aerospace, defence, telecommunications), research, construction and commercial activities (especially banking). Additionally,the huge development of tourism is extremely important to its economy. Paradise City's international airport, PCX, is the largest in nation, and the city hosts the head offices of the vast majority of the major Confederate companies, most famously the renowned Griffincrest Oil Incorporated.

Universities, national radio and television and the movie industry in Paradise City are also important parts of the economy: the city serves as the hub of the Confederate film industry, working since the 1930s. The city is also a center for banking and insurance as well as electronics, energy, transport, and aerospace industries. Numerous international companies and agencies headquarters, government ministries, conference centres, sports venues, and museums are located in Paradise City's principal business districts.

Finance

The Pardisian Stock Exchange, located on Via Nova, is one of the world's largest stock exchanges, when measured by average daily trading volume and overall market capitalization. Financial services account for more than 20 percent of the city's employment income.

Paradise City has been a leading center of finance in the world economy since the end oft he 19th century. The city is home to five major stock, commodities, and futures exchanges: Confederate Stock Exchange, Hespeidesian Securities Exchange, , Paradise City Board of Trade, Paradise City Mercantile Exchange, and Paradise City Stock Exchange. This contributes to Paradise City being a major financial service exporter, both within the confederacy and globally.

Since the founding of the Conederate Reserve banking system, the Confederate Reserve Bank of Paradise City in Vici's financial district has been where monetary policy in the Blackhelm Confederacy is implemented, although policy is decided in the Chancellery by the Confederate Reserve Bank's Board of Governors. The Paradise City Confed is the largest, in terms of assets, and the most important of the twelve regional banks. It is responsible for the second district, which covers the entire Paradise City region, as well as Sancte Crucis and Marci Evangeliste. The Paradise City Confed is responsible for conducting open market operations, the buying and selling of outstanding BC Treasury securities. The Paradise City Confederate Reserve is the only regional bank with a permanent vote on the Confederate Open Market Committee and its president is traditionally selected as the Committee's vice chairman. The bank also has the largest gold repository in Hesperidesia, and by some accounts the entire region, with exact figures kept under lock and key by bank officials.

Shipping

The Port of Paradise City is the Blackhelm Confederacy's leading port and one of the largest and busiest in Astyria. It is administered by the Blackhelm Confederate Ports Authority and it is split into three main sections: the main channel which flows into the downtown area, the container terminal, and a secondary port which flows into Paradise Harbor from the west. The port features a railhead.

The port has seen growing amounts of crude oil exported, with export figures rising since the fall of the Exponential Empire.

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Paradise City

Planted bridge going over the Canalis Sancti Christi, one of the cities many waterways

Tourism is a vital industry for Paradise City, which has witnessed a growing combined volume of international and domestic tourists – receiving several million tourists yearly from all over the world.

Major tourist destinations include the Chancellery Park; the Blackhelm Confederate Senate; the Orangeblossom Building; the Imperial War Memorial; Griffincrest Tower; the Blackhelm Confederate High Court; museums such as the National Museum of Art; the Vetalian Quarter; luxury shopping along Via Imperial and Via Nova; and events such as the Rebirth Day Parade; the Landing Day Parade; the lighting of the Chancellery Christmas Tree; the St. Peter's Day parade; and various seasonal activities throughout the year. There are also numerous attractions throughout the city as well as on the harbor islands, most of which offer spectacular views of the Paradise City skyline. Additionally, the unique architecture and plentiful greenspace, especially the many planted bridges and public parks and monuments throughout the city, draw in a number of people as well.

It is estimated that there are over 250,000 hotel rooms throughout Paradise City, with many smaller private establishments to be found as well, and there are hundreds of souvenir shops to be found, further contributing the the wealth that tourism brings into the city each year.

Education

Library Building of the Paradise City University Campus

Paradise City is a nationwide and major international center for higher education, containing numerous academies, colleges and universities. It boasts a large variety of academies and colleges, and has always been a major worldwide intellectual and educational location, especially during the height of the Exponenital Empire during the 14th to 18th centuries. According to a number of renowned tour guides, the city is one of the regions most culturally and aesthetically interesting cities.

For the majority of children, primary and secondary education is the responsibility of the local parish church, and so a religious centered education is the norm not only in Paradise City but across the Blackhelm Confederacy. For those who are able to afford it, there are also a number of excellent private schools and even boarding schools, providing not only a high quality education but also a number of other amenities many of the church based programs may simply be unable to afford. One such school is the Anastasia Herzogin von Hohenstein International High School, which provides services to a mix of Rombergian expats and Confederate nationals and offers a different educational platform than the traditional one most Paradisian students enjoy.

Paradise City's first university, founded in 1303, is the largest in Hesperidesia and one of the largest in the region, with more than 140,000 students attending. In order to decrease the overcrowding of Paradisa University, two new public universities were founded during the last couple of decades: Stella Maris in 1984, and Trinitatis in 1992. Paradise City is also home to the National School of Government, the Blackhelm Confederacy's most important graduate university in the areas of international affairs and Astyrian studies, and the Paradise City IDS was founded in 1971 by Julius Argarius and is the country's oldest industrial design school.

The city also contains a large number of pontifical and private universities and other institutes, including the King Uroš I University, the Hesperidesian Institute of Design, and the Tiberius Aquillius Medical University. Additionally, Paradise City hosts several major libraries, including: the Bibliotheca Angelica, opened in 1523, making it the nation's first public library; the Bibliotheca Turrelius, opened in 1601; the Bibliotheca Sancti Sebastianus opened in 1708; the National Central Library, which contains a vast archive of manuscripts and tomes going back to the original Roman landing, the Mederanite Cultural Library,and numerous others covering virtually every range of academic interest.

Demographics

15,210,341 (Old City)
24,598,165 (New City)

1,285 km2 (Old City)
1,567 km2 (New City)

Slums

62,352,226 people
1195km2
52,123 people per sq km

Foreign Populations

According to the 2013-2014 Center for Inter-Astyrian Studies

Scottopians: (602,443)
Trellinese: (41,739)
Ionician: (12,792)
Nikolians: (11,419)
Aquitaynians: (10,856)
Rombergians: (7,312)
Selkie: (3,047)
Cadenzans: (283)

Global Network

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