Kyusigai

Kyusigai

きゅしがい Kiyu Sigahi Sekolah
View from a northern suburb (Batu Menangis hill) with Mount Sebelumya in the background.
File:KYUflag.png Flag	File:KYUcoapng Coat of arms
Location
File:KYUlocatormap.png
Country	Sokoku
Region	Shuuen
Foundation	~7200
Founded by	sample_personality
Government
Type	Staggered democratic
Body	City Council
Mayor	TBA
Physical
Elevation	31 meters (average)
Total area	TBA km2
Urban area	TBA km2
Metro area	TBA km2
Time zone	UTC-10
Population
Total	3,381,320
Rank	3rd place
Density	TBA/km2
Demonym	Sigaian

Kyusigai, also spelled きゅしがい in Bahaso, is the capital city of Sokoku located in the state of Shuuen on the island with the same name. With its 3.4 million inhabitants, it is the 3rd largest urban settlement of Sokoku. The city's full name is Kiyu Sigahi Sekola (きゆ しがひ せこら) but that name is hardly used. Since it is the capital of a multilingual nation, it has different spelling in those languages, like Olta in Iztomal, Skola in Wortsproke and Kyo Sikai in Kakuri

Etymology

The name Kyusigai originally comes from the Kakuri language and was introduced by Chika Mirei shortly after the liberation of Schlung from Hellish colonisers. She refered to the former häverist urbanate as "a place where we can dedicate ourselves to learning", in this case learning to co-exist and execute good governance. A "place dedicated to learning" (Kyo Sikai) became a commonly used term for the settlement. In Bahaso, it was transformed to Kiyu Sigahi Sekola with that final addition literally meaning "school".

History

The foundation of Schlung as a Hellish fortress happened more or less by accident. A ship with Hellish settler, the Feuerborg, got stranded here in 72XX after a storm. With a dinghy the ship crew went for help, but the rescuing vessel Wasserstein got wrecked on a submerged rock and was damaged beyond repair. Then the decision was made to build a small fortress with the ship's material, after which the makeshift settlement got nicknamed Festung Schlunge, meaning "fortress of casted material".

After the Häverist revolution, Schlung was designated as one of the three major Häverist urbanates that had to be constructed in order to get the entire colony of Schangtienrand under Häverist control. Schlung would become the southern stronghold in the colonisation effort. The old town and some adjacent native settlements were incorporated and then largely levelled.

The ongoing unrest in Schangtienrand led to a very long construction time, with the urbanate not even half ready when rebel forces captured it with the help of Fisks vessels and Kakuri strategies. Instead of destroying the oppressive colonial structure, Chika Mirei suggested to use the half finished settlement as an example of modern planning with a native basis, instead of demolishing it like the colonists had done previously to pre-colonial settlements.

Kyusigai got an ambitious blueprint plan as the capital of Shuuen aiming at 500,000 inhabitants. But when Sokoku was founded in 76XX the plan was extended to 1 million inhabitants. The structure was based on that of Toshi-bu but then with four metropolitan railway lines and two regional railway lines as backbone for development. The stations on the Kyusigai Metro would create opportunities for business establishment, transportation and local trade. Government buildings were constructed as footholds on the different branches, generating cross town traffic and good possibilities for residential development across the urban landscape. The central part of the city, re-using the urbanate's circular structures, was partially designed by Sanna Palnesdotter av Blåkulla, the older sister of Queen Tovemor of Vittmark, who also had been the managing designer for Nushudawara in Mirei.

When Sokoku became larger and larger, so did the demand for government related activities in the capital. The master plan had to be adapted several times and is currently in the form of seven development corridors, mimicking the lay-out of Toshi-bu even more than the original plan.

Urban townscape

Kyusigai is located on the Benteng bay, part of the Jameh Sea between Shuuen and Garis Hati. The city stretches out along the coastline with small ports and pleasant residential areas around metro stations, lacking the vast port facilities that dominate Sokoku's largest cities Taumakan and Berewan. A lot of the coastline is still covered in mangrove forests or has palm lined sandy beaches, depending on the geoligical conditions.

The river Melara has its mouth just south of the city center and much of the area the city covers is a river delta between rocky outcrops. So rocky hills dot the urban landscape, creating identifiable places in the extended built-up area. Further to the west the river has been turned into the Danau Melara reservoir for drinking water and electricity production, separating the northern and southern outskirts. This has created a new, inland shoreline that gives many inhabitants access to the water for leisure, but also goods transportation. The reservoir is protected by strict regulation regarding industrial activities, agriculture, mining adn wastewater treatment.

A characteristic feature of the city is Mount Sebelumya in the southern suburbs, an extinct volcano with a typical dome form dominating the surrounding landscape. It is located between Sisi Sela on the south coast and the purple line suburbs around Tajam, creating a dramatic background for both parts of the city. The area is designated nature reserve, partially because soil conditions make it difficult to have agriculture or buildings here.

The city structure with its carefully planned metro lines has been nicknamed "pearl strings", since each area around a metro station is treated like an individual locality. This makes Kyusigai an urban landscape of station towns with about 10,000 inhabitants each, with local service like schools and shops all at walking distance. Older settlements like Kawana, Suci. Suara, Tenaga Surya and especially the coastal towns of Leher and Taman can still be identified as separate towns within the city, giving Kyusigai a multi-faceted character. Kawana and Suara still have many buildings left from colonial times, like the iconic Hotel Exemplar Mirei which has served as urban villa, post office, state company headquarters, training facility, hotel and state office. This characterises Sokokan architecture and building, trying to create flexible and adaptable buildings and places, enabeling the dynamics that come with an urban society with over 1 million inhabitants.