Invisible Cities

Esmeralda Research

In designing the city of Esmeralda, city of water and

change, I wanted to show the ways the water is
controlled and made to change direction. In my
previous imagining of the city, I gave it a rather calm air,
not taking to account the passages and mazes which
and the constant change which makes Esmeralda so
distinctive from the other Calvino cities and gives it a
rather chaotic look.

I studied water turbines and various routes the water

could take, as well as taking some elements that would
influence the design of the buildings and walls, such as
Roman aqueducts which helped date and refine the
geography, as the cities of Calvino are based on
elements from Venice. I also looked at the canals of
Venice, however I felt other cities, such as Anastasia and
Phyllis would have this in common, so I focused on
creating many different ways of travel, and how the
inhabitants of Esmeralda are built and influenced by
this.