Kien-k'ang: Difference between revisions
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==Economy== | ==Economy== | ||
Kien-k′ang is the dominant city in Themiclesia in economic terms. Its gross product has consistently accounted for about one third of that of the entire country, or nominally $610 billion in 2020 (2019 Int'l dollars). Globally, it ranks as of 2019 the seventh most productive city, behind Nakazara, Avallone, Sunju, Selkiö, New Hadaway, and Paris. Though once the heart of Themiclesia's heavy industry, the tertiary or service sector has enjoyed primacy since the 1970s. | Kien-k′ang is the dominant city in Themiclesia in economic terms. Its gross product has consistently accounted for about one third of that of the entire country, or nominally $610 billion in 2020 (2019 Int'l dollars). Globally, it ranks as of 2019 the seventh most productive city, behind Nakazara, Avallone, Sunju, Selkiö, New Hadaway, and Paris. Though once the heart of Themiclesia's heavy industry, the tertiary or service sector has enjoyed primacy since the 1970s. | ||
===Raks-de=== | |||
Raks-de (各市 or 路市) is the historic commercial centre of Kien-k'ang, located around the south of the city walls. The name ''raks-de'' means "open air market". It is also named ''nem-de'' or "south market" as it was with the east and west markets one of three principal marketplaces from the medieval period, but the east and west markets remained produce and goods markets of a local relevance, whereas the south market developed into the financial centre of Themiclesia during the first half of the 19th century. | |||
Its reaches the Qlin Temple Compound (天宮, ''qlin-kyung'') to the west and gradually fades into more residential neighbourhoods to the east. The district is intersected by the Avenue, which leads to the royal palace and hosts many government departments within the city walls. The area is arguably the best-served in Kien-k'ang in terms of transport options: it hosts the [[Twa-ts'uk-men Station]] on the main lines and is the area where [[Kien-k'ang Rapid Transit|rapid transit]] lines converge. The entire Raks-de district is encircled by the Metropolitan and Central lines. | |||
Raks-de has housed the [[L'wats Stock Exchange]] since it evolved from a {{wp|futures contract}} market during the 18th century. Today it is the sixth largest {{wp|stock exchange}} globally by trading volume and is also where the majority of Themiclesian public companies are listed. A considerable number of global and Themiclesian businesses are headquartered from Raks-de, concentrating high-value employment in this area. As it is within the precincts of the city though beyond its physical walls, there is a building height limit in this area of 60 metres, which prevented the development of skyscrapers except in the case of the [[Kien-k'ang Financial Centre]] which reaches the height of 508 m and was the world's tallest building between 1993 and 2002. | |||
==Demographics and housing== | ==Demographics and housing== | ||
Revision as of 08:00, 1 February 2022
Kien-k′ang
建康 | |
|---|---|
Metropolitan City | |
| Shinasthana transcription(s) | |
| • Timothy | kyan-k′ang |
| • Garrett | kiàn-kang |
.jpg) Dusk in Banks District | |
| Country | Themiclesia |
| Province | Exchequer |
| Inner walls | 570 |
| Outer walls | 1412 |
| Seat | City Hall |
| Manors | List
|
| Government | |
| • Body | Metropolitan City of Kien-k'ang |
| • President-Alderman | Sally Chang (Conservative Party) |
| • Chairperson of the Council | Larry Pu |
| • Civic Marshal | Lt. Gen. Mark Ryam |
| Area | |
| • Metropolitan City | 7,642 km2 (2,951 sq mi) |
| • Land | 7,257 km2 (2,802 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 574 km2 (222 sq mi) |
| Population (2017) | |
| • Metropolitan City | 11,273,520 |
| • Density | 1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi) |
| Time zone | SMT+4 |
| Postal code | 103 |
The Metropolitan City of Kien-k'ang (泰邑建康, qlats-qrep-kyen-k'ang) or simply Kien-k'ang is the capital city of Themiclesia, located in the country's west and straddling the banks of the River Kaung, about 150 km from its discharge. The city has a growing population of 11.24 million. The Metropolitan City, covering 7,642 km², is much larger than the historic walled city or the modern urban area expanding from it, occupying as much as a third of the Exchequer Province and includes rural districts and satellite cities. The urban area of Kien-k'ang covers about 450 km² and is the home of about 4 million denizens. The city is governed by the elected Metropolitan Board of Aldermen and City Council, which are its executive and legislative authorities respectively.
Kien-k'ang is considered a world city with respect to its prominence in the global economy and as a centre for international trade, culture, education, and technology. Once an industrial powerhouse of Central Hemithea, Kien-k'ang's economy is now dominated by the tertiary sector. Domestically, it is the seat of the central government and hosts the headquarters of all its primary departments. Likewise, it is the dominant city in Themiclesia as to its population and economic output, accounting for more of the latter than its population suggests. The global and Hemithean headquarters of numerous international enterprises are also located in Kien-k'ang, having presented a stable and liberal environment for much of modern history.
The city is a hub of Themiclesia's much-used conventional and high-speed railways, which connect it to both domestic and foreign destinations as far as Suurlarko, Camia, Solevant, Menghe, and Dayashina. Within the city, the is rapid transit, the commuter railway, tram, and omnibus services, which converge most prominently at Twa-ts'uk-men Station. Flights to and from Kien-k'ang are served by two airports, the urban Tibh Airport and more remote Kei Airport.
Kien-k'ang is the site of both aboriginal settlements in the Neolothic period and of early Meng settlements in Themiclesia, dating to the 6th century BCE. In the 4th and 3rd centuries, it profited greatly, situated on the trade route to Menghe, and became the dominant city of the Themiclesian south, from which emerged an empire that unified Themiclesia-proper. With Themiclesian presence in the Subcontinent and northern Meridia, the city was a portal for foreign contact, which has left copious and indelible marks on the city's cultural, musical, artistic, architectural, academic, and political fabric. The annual Procession of Envoys into the royal palace is a spectacle part of this heritage.
The city is home to numerous primary and secondary schools, which offer compulsory education to children living in the city. The city has private schools and a smaller number of tertiary institutions, including 5 of Themiclesia's 15 chartered universities, of which 12 which are considered top global institutions. It is also a centre for medical care, with multiple recognized general and research hospitals within its ambit. The historic core of the city is the Citadel (成), which hosts royal palaces and government departments. The urbanized area around the Citadel was enclosed by palisades since Antiquity but were only walled after the 1385 Menghean siege. Much new development takes place outside the walled city. The Kien-k'ang Financial Centre, the world's tallest building for nine years, is located in the South Fring district.
The city faces industrial and air pollution, high housing costs, and ageing infrastructure. Some pollution may be traced to the city's industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries, whereby untreated waste has permanently altered the hydrology and habitability of some places. In others, unregulated development led to groundwater overuse or pollution, in turn endangering structures built above. Several of the city's districts, desirable but subject to strict rules, are neither actively developed nor affordable, and in some cases have become dilapidated. The price of homes in central Kien-k'ang has consistently risen faster than wage levels since 1982, encouraging remote developments that in turn require lengthy commutes.
Name
Kien-k'ang was originally the name of the citadel of the city of Tsins (晉邑); however, as Tsins evolved to mean the political entity controlled from that city, the name of the citadel, given in 570 after an extensive renovation, came to denote the city itself.
Geography
Kien-k'ang is situated on the east bank of the river Kaung (江, kwrang), roughly 150 km from its discharge into the Bay (小海, smu′-qme′).
Topography
Climate
The Metropolitan City of Kien-k'ang traverses two Köppen climate classification zones, the hot-summer humid continental (Dfa) and cold semi-arid climates (Bsk). The place where the following climate data is collected is within the former. The city experiences low to moderate precipitation year-round. Seasons are well-defined in terms of temperature, with coldest temperatures in January and February and hottest in July.
| Climate data for Kien-k'ang (normals 1883 – present; extremes 1945 – present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.4 (54.3) |
15.7 (60.3) |
20.6 (69.1) |
29.3 (84.7) |
37.3 (99.1) |
39.3 (102.7) |
41.9 (107.4) |
42.5 (108.5) |
37.9 (100.2) |
31.0 (87.8) |
21.1 (70.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
42.7 (108.9) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −3.3 (26.1) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
4.7 (40.5) |
15.4 (59.7) |
22.8 (73.0) |
27.8 (82.0) |
30.6 (87.1) |
29.5 (85.1) |
22.3 (72.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
4.1 (39.4) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.4 (20.5) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
0.3 (32.5) |
9.4 (48.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
21.5 (70.7) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.0 (73.4) |
16.1 (61.0) |
8.4 (47.1) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
8.7 (47.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −9.0 (15.8) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
4.3 (39.7) |
10.4 (50.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
17.7 (63.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
10.4 (50.7) |
4.4 (39.9) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
4.0 (39.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −34.0 (−29.2) |
−31.5 (−24.7) |
−24.8 (−12.6) |
−13.8 (7.2) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
1.0 (33.8) |
6.4 (43.5) |
5.5 (41.9) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−13.2 (8.2) |
−23.8 (−10.8) |
−28.8 (−19.8) |
−34.0 (−29.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 21 (0.8) |
15 (0.6) |
18 (0.7) |
14 (0.6) |
29 (1.1) |
21 (0.8) |
15 (0.6) |
12 (0.5) |
18 (0.7) |
23 (0.9) |
16 (0.6) |
21 (0.8) |
225 (8.9) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 11 (4.3) |
18 (7.1) |
10 (3.9) |
1 (0.4) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.4) |
6 (2.4) |
18 (7.1) |
| Average rainy days | 8 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 127 |
| Average snowy days | 21 | 17 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 81 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 85 | 83 | 79 | 62 | 55 | 54 | 51 | 49 | 59 | 71 | 84 | 87 | 68 |
| Source: Themiclesian Institute for Science | |||||||||||||
History
Prehistory
The modern Metropolitan City of Kien-k'ang contains several sites attributed to the pre-literate Sarcophagus Culture which inhabited the south and east of Themiclesia between the 19th and 9th centuries BCE, whose eponymous cultural material were large, heavy stone sarcophagi in which their dead were placed during elaborate funerary ceremonies. They further served as sign posts or meeting places for the Sarcophagus Culture's migratory population groups. At least 14 such sarcophagi and more sites of temporary settlement have been discovered within the city's administrative borders. The Sarcophagus Culture was predominantly a Neolothic culture, though metal objects were imported from the Achahan people who governed northern Menghe and Dzhungestan during the later phase of the Sarcophagus Culture. While some scholars believe it strongly influenced burial customs of Meng people who later settled in Themiclesia, its lack of a permanent settlement renders difficult the connection to the history of the later city proper.
Antiquity
During the Themiclesian Dark Ages, the earliest Meng settlers pursued the Lapis Road from the remnants of the Achahan empire to what is now Themiclesia. The majority view places the first permanent, agricultural settlement of Meng affinity using bronze tools in the 8th century BCE, though not near Kien-k'ang. There, Meng settlements can only be dated to the first half of the 6th century, concentrating in the many bends of the River Kaung that irrigated farms.
Parts of the Ditch of Pren, located 31 km away from central Kien-k'ang, have been identified as the defensive works that surrounded a small settlement of about 1,000 people. The ditch was constructed around 550 BCE and seems to have accompanied an expansion of the settlement by craftsmen working the lapis lazuli ores that were not mined in Kien-k'ang's vicinity but transported over 500 km away.
Government and administration
Subdivisions
Kien-k'ang is part of the quasi-province of the Exchequer (內史). It is the economically dominant city within the Exchequer, its population and territory accounting for 85% and 31%, respectively, of the Exchequer's total.
Though Kien-k'ang was once bounded by its walls, the area within them now accounts for less than 0.5% of its administrative territory of 9,624 km². This area is divided into 13 boroughs and 35 districts. The boroughs correspond to existing towns with some degree of autonomy, and districts to all other areas, whether urban or rural. There are 9 districts within the walled area of the city. Boroughs and districts close to Kien-k'ang's city walls, being densely settled, are divided into manors (里, re), and other areas into communes or civil parishes (鄉, qang). There are about 300 manors and over 800 civil parishes and similar units in the whole of Kien-k'ang sensu lato.
The Citadel's (成, ding) immediate vicinity up to the Outer Walls is divided into 38 manors, and there are a further 145 manors beyond the walls. Most manors are either named after the most prominent landowners who were often entrusted with a degree of administrative responsibility, or given a name from historic districts of the capital city of the Meng dynasty of Menghe, whose plans remained philosophically influential to medieval Themiclesian governments. The Citadel itself is divided into 5 manors named after the cardinal directions. The manors together with the Citadel compose of the traditional Metropolis of Tsins (泰邑晉). Manorial administration in Kien-k'ang dates to Antiquity, and the 23 of the 38 modern Manors have been in place since the 15th century, when the Outer Walls were built.
In 1857, the Superior Woods, once under a separate administration as a royal forest, was added to the jurisdiction of the magistracy of Kien-k'ang. This occurred because royal industries were waning in importance in the Superior Woods, where land was increasingly devoted to real estate development to generate income for the Crown.
Due to growing population and the city's financial interests, the limits of Kien-k'ang were expanded to the area beyond the Outer Walls. From former centuries the area adjoining the walls was already populated by functions deemed inappropriate in the city, such as the firing of ceramic kilns and abattoirs, and also normal residents who required access to the Kaung. But it was in the 19th century when factories with heavy machinery, powered by water and coal, were built just beyond the city's limits, where land was cheaper and objection to pollution and crowdedness less likely to be acted upon. Thus, in 1891, the city annexed 82 communes near its walls with the view of imposing taxes on their inhabitants.
The City's borders were again edited in 1955 to include the settlements built by commercially, or under government initiative in less populated areas to house those cleared from slums or who had lost their homes during the war. In this expansion, the autonomy of many neighbourhood corporations were severely curbed to centralize administration to urban Kien-k'ang. Supporters of the annexation of the "fifteen boroughs" believed that the financial strength of central Kien-k'ang would benefit peripheral communities by funding local projects, though at the same time there too was disquiet over the loss of local autonomy.
The modern boundaries of the city were established in 1976 when more distant satellite cities and provincial land were annexed. The government took the view that, due to the maturity of the road and railway networks, commutes from more than 50 km away to central Kien-k'ang were now more common than they had been previously, and the consolidation of some aspects of their administrations would be preferable, particularly as to transit and taxation. The expansion of city limits in 1976 accompanied a wholesale restructuring of the local government. Rather than presupposing a single city where all activities are centred, the new metropolitan authority was intended to accommodate the mutual growth of multiple cities. As such, the new scheme preserved the autonomy of the new boroughs now also form Kien-k'ang.
| Name | Type | Area (km²) |
Population (2019) |
Density (per km²) |
Manors/ Communes |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anglian | Shinasthana | ||||||
| Kien-k'ang | 建康 | District | 3.7 | 47,000 | 12,703 | City | |
| Sner-kru | 西郊 | District | 3.4 | 49,000 | 14,412 | ||
| Twang-kru | 東郊 | District | 2.7 | 37,000 | 13,704 | ||
| Dank-rem | 上林 | District | 12 | 65,000 | 5,417 | ||
| Nem-kru | 南郊 | District | 4.2 | 56,000 | 13,333 | ||
| Twang-qar | 東阿 | District | 4.6 | 45,000 | 9,783 | ||
| Sner-qar | 西阿 | District | 5.1 | 49,000 | 9,608 | ||
| 'An-proang | 安邦 | District | 2.9 | 24,000 | 8,276 | ||
| Nem-qar | 南阿 | District | 2.1 | 32,000 | 15,238 | ||
| Bli-pa | 四浦 | District | 7.3 | 84,000 | 11,507 | Near-district | |
| Kek-la | 克野 | District | 3.4 | 70,000 | 20,588 | ||
| Ruk-la | 祿野 | District | 5.7 | 87,000 | 15,263 | ||
| Pa-la | 普野 | District | 4.3 | 57,000 | 13,256 | ||
| Bing-ngwyan | 平邍 | District | 6.9 | 53,000 | 7,681 | ||
| Maqs-ngwyan | 慕邍 | District | 3.3 | 72,000 | 21,818 | ||
| Qa-rem | 虎林 | District | 9.2 | 202,000 | 21,957 | ||
| Stsors | 算 | District | 19.4 | 154,000 | 7,938 | ||
| Bing-la | 平野 | District | 28.1 | 292,000 | 10,391 | ||
| 'Uks-ngwyan | 奧邍 | District | 13.5 | 200,000 | 14,815 | ||
| Ni | 彌 | District | 17.4 | 192,000 | 11,034 | ||
| Ngar-la | 我野 | District | 28.3 | 242,000 | 8,551 | ||
| King-la | 井野 | District | 52.9 | 287,000 | 5,425 | ||
| Brars-ngwyan | 辦邍 | District | 86.2 | 278,000 | 3,225 | ||
| Kwis-ngwyan | 圭邍 | District | 69.5 | 290,000 | 4,173 | ||
| Sli-rem | 矢林 | District | 57.5 | 325,000 | 5,652 | ||
| Proang-rem | 邦林 | District | 192.4 | 332,000 | 1,726 | ||
| Qyik-la | 益野 | District | 415.7 | 280,000 | 674 | Far-district | |
| Goi-la | 龢野 | District | 332.9 | 348,000 | 1,045 | ||
| Sqe-stur | 巳水 | District | 872 | 440,000 | 505 | ||
| Trung-la | 中野 | District | 292.1 | 240,000 | 822 | ||
| Prans-rem | 牉林 | District | 560.1 | 275,000 | 491 | ||
| Ghuk | 谷 | District | 337.1 | 344,000 | 1,020 | ||
| Peks-la | 復野 | District | 492.8 | 389,000 | 789 | ||
| Tsrek-rem | 尺林 | District | 182.4 | 268,000 | 1,469 | ||
| Ngrak-rem | 逆林 | District | 397.3 | 288,000 | 725 | ||
| Sgungs | 宋 | Borough | 460.1 | 782,000 | 1,700 | ||
| Bek | 孛 | Borough | 89.5 | 480,000 | 5,363 | ||
| Qlwa | 舒 | Borough | 284.5 | 920,000 | 3,234 | ||
| Breng | 盈 | Borough | 183.3 | 348,000 | 1,899 | ||
| Kwei | 鬼 | Borough | 82.3 | 242,000 | 2,940 | ||
| Mrei | 微 | Borough | 122 | 187,000 | 1,533 | ||
| Mi | 米 | Borough | 178.1 | 355,000 | 1,993 | ||
| Prar | 皮 | Borough | 544.2 | 272,000 | 500 | ||
| N'wer | 妥 | Borough | 190.7 | 155,200 | 814 | ||
| Qlis | 四 | Borough | 287.3 | 124,000 | 432 | ||
| Kar | 可 | Borough | 100.1 | 79,000 | 789 | ||
| Ghwra | 于 | Borough | 248.3 | 248,000 | 999 | ||
| La | 余 | Borough | 343.2 | 552,000 | 1,608 | ||
| Totals | 7,642 | 11,237,000 | 1,470 | ||||
Government
Economy
Kien-k′ang is the dominant city in Themiclesia in economic terms. Its gross product has consistently accounted for about one third of that of the entire country, or nominally $610 billion in 2020 (2019 Int'l dollars). Globally, it ranks as of 2019 the seventh most productive city, behind Nakazara, Avallone, Sunju, Selkiö, New Hadaway, and Paris. Though once the heart of Themiclesia's heavy industry, the tertiary or service sector has enjoyed primacy since the 1970s.
Raks-de
Raks-de (各市 or 路市) is the historic commercial centre of Kien-k'ang, located around the south of the city walls. The name raks-de means "open air market". It is also named nem-de or "south market" as it was with the east and west markets one of three principal marketplaces from the medieval period, but the east and west markets remained produce and goods markets of a local relevance, whereas the south market developed into the financial centre of Themiclesia during the first half of the 19th century.
Its reaches the Qlin Temple Compound (天宮, qlin-kyung) to the west and gradually fades into more residential neighbourhoods to the east. The district is intersected by the Avenue, which leads to the royal palace and hosts many government departments within the city walls. The area is arguably the best-served in Kien-k'ang in terms of transport options: it hosts the Twa-ts'uk-men Station on the main lines and is the area where rapid transit lines converge. The entire Raks-de district is encircled by the Metropolitan and Central lines.
Raks-de has housed the L'wats Stock Exchange since it evolved from a futures contract market during the 18th century. Today it is the sixth largest stock exchange globally by trading volume and is also where the majority of Themiclesian public companies are listed. A considerable number of global and Themiclesian businesses are headquartered from Raks-de, concentrating high-value employment in this area. As it is within the precincts of the city though beyond its physical walls, there is a building height limit in this area of 60 metres, which prevented the development of skyscrapers except in the case of the Kien-k'ang Financial Centre which reaches the height of 508 m and was the world's tallest building between 1993 and 2002.
Demographics and housing
As the citadel was mostly occupied by the palaces and government offices, residential areas arose outside of the citadel. The few residences within the citadel were held by the Privy Treasury and granted to royal favourites for convenience. In time, many of them became consular and ambassadorial residences and chanceries. Most of the palaces and government offices also had areas set aside as residences for its officers, though these were more akin to elaborate dormitories in use, the officers returning to a city home whenever released from work. Most of these residences have been torn down to make space for more offices as government ministries sprung up and struggled to find space within the citadel.
Beyond the citadel, in terms of land area, much of the city was royal forest and farmland until the 19th century. Once occupying almost 40% of the city, the High Woods (上林) to the north and the Metropolitan Botanical Garden (都木苑) are two remnants of royal forests that have been opened to public use; other parts of royal forests have been sold to private investors. Around another 12% of the city was held by the Privy Treasury as "serjeanty land" (采), leased to bureaucrats that did not already possess productive lands for the duration of their employ, according to their ranks. A commoner serving as secretary of state received some 30 hectares, while a warehouse manager received four.
The aristocratic families in Kien-k'ang built walled estates of considerable size. The very largest of these estates rivalled the palaces and housed dozens of extended families. Most land there was agricultural, worked by the estate-holder's tenants, living on the estate and sometimes for generations. These farming operations provided the estate-holder with a source of rent, partly paid in kind, was converted at markets. The estate-holder usually lived in a mansion located on the estate. Other houses existed for tenants and retainers, from single bunks and rooms for menials to detached, multiple-room residences for an estate-accountant and his family. It has been proposed that as many as a third of all of the city's residents were tenants and agents of its aristocratic houses.[1]
Most of these estates fell apart between the 17th and 19th centuries, with a few surviving into the 20th in remote areas or owned by exceptionally successful and conservative magnates. In the 1600s, the state began taxing aristocratic lands, prompting their owners to sell them off or convert them into more profitable uses. The city's growth during the 18th century led to "salami process", whereby an estate would have strips of land, facing streets, sliced off and converted into rental houses. This process accelerated in the 19th century, when the city's population grew from 400,000 to 2 million by 1900. Meanwhile, workshops and factories offered new opportunities to dispossessed farmers, encouraging agricultural land to convert to other uses.
However, most new dwellings built in the 19th century concentrated around the city's southern limits, where factories bloomed in the mid-19th century due to convenient transport (river, canal, and railway), availability of capital, and government promotion. Many factories provided dormitories for its workers that grew into communities with subsequent, independent development. Co-operating with factory owners, houses were rapidly built with the express purpose of housing as many people as cheaply as possible near to the workplace, with minimal consideration for sanitation, ventilation, and privacy. Communal kitchens and wells were the rule in these communities until cast-iron ranges and running water became common in the 20th century. Despite rapid construction, the demand for housing was insatiatble, and shantytowns grew at an astonishing pace, often infringing on existing properties.
These living conditions created a hotbed for infectious diseases that culminated in the dysentery epidemic in 1894, killing over 10,000 without medical facilities. These new communities also presented a challenge to urban authorities, who were accustomed to comparatively simple land titles in less congested areas; in the shantytowns, however, real interests were difficult to register and enforce, and residents themselves could not be censused without a conventional address. For many decades, the population of Kien-k'ang was under-reported by hundreds of housands, which hampered (admittedly limited) efforts to improve the quality of workers' lives. A professional police force did not exist until 1881, when the apparent lawlessness of the urban communities is thought to have motivated its introduction.
By 1890, the industrial and bustling south starkly contrasted with the quiescent north of the city, but tramways and urban railways, first operated in 1892, allowed working communities to propagate north. It is commonly held that this movement caused the city's elite to escape from what is now midtown and seek out new residential areas; however, the movement to more remote areas has actually existed since the beginning of the century for a variety of reasons. "Casual" houses were, in the 19th century, a hallmark of leisured lifestyles. A growing portion of merchants, formerly based in the port of Tonning, moved to Kien-k'ang; not needing access to factories, they settled in the city's northwest, where free land was still availalbe and not enclosed by estates. The growing middle class also began to live there to maintain social and physical distance from whom they believed were lesser.
The New District (新里), carved out of High Woods, was settled by upper- and middle-class residents in the 1850s, whose ranks swelled after propertied men acquired the franchise in 1845 and sought to establish themselves in the capital city. The growing middle class sometimes built their principal houses to compete with the aristocracy's casual houses, located in the same district, in terms of opulence and access to imported tastes. In the 1870s, the New District is described by The Times of Kien-k'ang as "the place where every respectable man has a house—but not necessarily live." Much of the aristocracy had other houses, either in the city or the countryside. The practice of competitive house-building in the New District then engendered its most prominent modern problems: dilapidated houses and landlord absenteeism.
In 1884, the government levied an urban land tax that drove the final nail into the coffins of remaining estates, which were being held mainly by a syndicate of landlords and corporations as land speculation. This was actually a regressive tax, but the largest estates were so under-utilized that the tax easily exceeded its value; nevertheless, the law also provided for a ten-year grace period for holders to make profitable plans for them. This tax released some 500 hectares of land into the market over the ensuing ten-year period, much of which became residential land. A few estates were sold to the government at market value.
In the 1890s, the City made its first provisions for urban planning. Like a police service, this policy was motivated by both the want of services in industrial and slum districts and a fear of social unrest if administration became impossible. In 1897, a multiple-day riot ensued in Ladh-brjêng District (大平里) after an explosive conflagration consumed almost 5,000 houses because fire engines were blocked; many residents of the city feared, without much evidence, that a revolution might be under foot. After the conflagration, the industrial district continued to expand.
A variety of groups advocated for restricting "industrial activity, clamour, and waste" to certain quarters and protecting the people that lived beyond it. The government sought to meet these demands while not depriving the industries of the land and labour they required. The resulting urban plans thus became a defence mechanism for a minority of city denizens against the problems they associated with industrial slums. They campaigned for "equal housing", which meant communities inhabited by families of comparable means, tastes, and expectations. The first planned district, founded in 1902, possessed provisions for lanes, sewers, running water, and manufactured gas. Running water was crucial as manufacturing and human wastes had poisoned underground water in many places. It was hoped that these new communities, with a density ceiling, would deter working-class housing and class-based hostilites.
The New District, isolated from both industry and commerce and inhabited by a highly-respected social class, was the inspiration for early urban planning. In the same decade, the City issued further plans for the east. Many communities were targeted towards certain economic and social classes through location, lot size, and other rules imposed through residents' councils. A homogeneous living environment proved attractive to many that sought to express their wealth and status through dwellings. By 1910, some 20,000 houses have been built in planned neighbourhoods. But most of these early lots were unaffordable to workers, and walking from these places to work and shop would have been impossible. Ironically, "equal housing" introduced strong geographic barriers between social classes that still remain highly visible today.
Education
Transportation
Inter-city railways
As the capital and most populous city, Kien-k'ang has been and is the primary railway hub of Themiclesia, whereto inter-city railways have connected since the beginning of the railway age in the 1850s. During the maximum of railway density in the 1950s, the city was served by eleven main-lines leading to other cities, though that number has since diminished to eight. Since the 1960s, the city has also been served by the Themiclesian High Speed Rail, which operates three lines out of the city.
All inter-city railways, conventional and high-speed, are on standard gauge of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm). Power supply is mixed: one-third of the main-lines and all high-speed lines stand electrified with overhead AC power, and the remainder rely on diesel adhesion. Electrified and improved conventional lines are capable of supporting maximal speeds up to 120 mph (190 km/h), while high-speed lines may accommodate speeds up to 200 mph (320 km/h). Non-electrified main-lines are usually limited to line speeds of 100 mph (160 km/h). Lower speed limits exist on other lines for a variety of reasons.
Kien-k'ang is served by four primary inter-city stations. Twa-ts'uk-men Station and Tlang-qrum Station are the termini of National and Themiclesian & Great Northwestern, respectively. The Bring-ding-men Station is located near the southwestern gate of the city and serves primarily trains going to the south. The L′wa-rem Station, located west of the Kaung, is situated in an area experiencing growth of commercial activity since the 1970s, when that suburban district became a favoured location for office buildings due to the absence of a building height restriction.
Rapid transit
The publicly-owned Kien-k'ang Rapid Transit System operates 12 heavy-rail rapid-transit, 2 medium-capacity, and 9 light-rail lines, and on them, 394 stations. Rapid-transit lines generally converge in central Kien-k'ang and terminate in suburbs. Light-rail systems, often converted from tram lines, are more common at the termini of rapid-transit lines and can function as feeder services; however, they also exist in the urban core, along with two medium-capacity lines built in the 1990s to 2000s on the basis of an old rapid-transit line removed in the 50s. The KRT has a daily ridership or trips taken of about 3 million in 2020, a figure that has been increasing since the 80s.
The entire KRT runs on the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm), which was mandatory on revenue railways since the 1850s, but because the lines were constructed for different rolling stock, their loading guage, power, and signal systems are not intercompatible.
The KRT is one of the oldest urban rail transit systems in Hemithea, components whereof date as far back as 1883. Four major railway systems existed during the first half of the 20th century in Kien-k'ang—Urban, Metropolitan, Central, and Underground Electric. These were brought under common management in 1943, by which the City undertook the duties of building and maintaining tracks, and public ownership in 1948.
Regional railway
Commuters' need to travel to and from the city have underlaid the creation of the Inner Region Regional Railway (IRRR) in 1968 as a separate railway system, which previously existed as subsidiary services offered by the main-line operators on its main and branch lines. The IRRR is meant to offer semi-frequent services with good capacity at distances longer than the KRT's farthest reaches, lines running as far as 157 km from the urban core.
Omnibus
Highways
Kien-k'ang is served by two limited-access inter-city highways numbered A1 and A9. A1 originates from Kwang, passes through Kien-k'ang's eastern outskirts, and leads to Sin, Rak, and Qwang; there are 16 exits and 4 interchanges within the bounds of the Metropolitan City. A9 originates from Prin, passes through Rem, and terminates at Kien-k'ang's western fringe in the Borough of L′wa.
The Southern Line Highway is an urban highway cutting across central Kien-k'ang. It was converted directly from the tracks of an elevated railway in 1954, as that line lost money and generated complaints from its rail squeal. It is a double-carriageway and two-lane road in most sections in either direction, with a maximum speed of 25 MPH due to its multiple sharp curves. This highway has seen mixed reaction from the citizenry because of combustion fumes and noise pollution, as well as its limited capacity and very restrictive speed limit. Additionally, the road grinds to a halt when accidents happen, due to its lack of any road shoulder. However, it is the city's only controlled-access road anywhere near its centre, and its supporters believe it saves time and reduces collisions.
Air
Kien-k'ang is served by two international airports, Tibh Airport and Kei Airport.
Tibh Airport is located across the River Kaung from Kien-k'ang-proper, on the riverbanks of Tibh. This facility served as the city's primary airport from its enlargement in the 1950s until the early 90s, when Kei Airport opened. Tibh Airport's primary attractiveness is its proximity to the city, at a mere 2 miles away. Once in a vacant district, this area has come to be densely settled up to the airport's limits, which has placed pressure upon the airport's nighttime operation and limited expansion. In the 70s, the airport's ageing terminal became notoriously congested but could not be expanded due to urban development nearby. After the opening of Kei Airport, Tibh underwent a major overhaul, closing its infamous northern runway and selling the land that runway occupied to developers to cover the expenses of the overhaul. It acquired an improved terminal that today serves as its primary terminal, while the old terminal is now used for administration.
Culture
See also
Notes
- ↑ The state exempted aristocratic land from taxation until the early 1600s, so working for an aristocrat enabled one to retain more of the product.