CITIES

From caves to castles to condominiums, people have lived in a variety of communities. Today’s concerns about cities are the same as thousands of years ago, such as the need for a good water supply and an effective transportation system. Explore types of architecture, find out what planning goes into building a city and try creating one of your own through the direct links on the Times Launch Point Web site:

https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint

Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.

Level 1

Junior ThinkQuest: Architecture Through the Ages: What did ancient cities look like and why? Travel through time and learn about key features of buildings from different eras: from ancient Egyptian pyramids to Renaissance cathedrals to today’s modern skyscrapers.

https://tqjunior.advanced.org/3786/index.html

ArchKidecture: Learn to look closely at the buildings around you as you find out about floor plans, building materials and unique buildings from around the world.

https://www.solidprint.com/julieweb/page1.html

Recycle City: In Recycle City, schools teach the three R’s--reduce, reuse and recycle--and citizens go to City Hall to plan ways to keep their city clean. Explore this city dedicated to protecting the natural environment and try a game that places you as city manager of Dumptown.

https://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/mainmap.htm

Level 2

Architecture Through the Ages: Learn how the Mayans, Greeks and Chinese built their homes and buildings through this photo tour that includes a fun test of knowledge. View Buddhist temples and Roman forums and learn about the elements of classical architecture.

https://hyperion.advanced.org/10098/

Design Paradise: City planners must consider many social, economic and environmental factors in their work. Learn about the many rules and issues involved in urban planning through this game where you design your own city. Be careful, because if you don’t follow the rules your city will go bankrupt or get shut down!

https://library.advanced.org/2111/

California Cities Online: Access information on California cities from Agoura Hills to Woodland through this searchable database.

https://www.cacities.org/Cities_Online/Cities_Online.asp

Level 3

History of Cities and City Planning: The first cities developed roughly 10,000 years ago when people learned how to farm and domesticate animals. Read an interesting account of how cities have functioned and learn about modern urban planning.

https://catalog.com/hopkins/simcity/manual/history.html

Victory City: The City of the Future: What is needed to make a perfect city for the new millennium? View floor plans and illustrations of Victory City and decide if you would want to live in this city of the future.

https://www.victorycities.com/

Library of Congress: Cities and Towns: View archival photos and panoramic maps of U.S. cities and see how cities have evolved over time.

https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/cityhome.html

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This column was designed by Emma Fewell, Jennifer Fauni, Gil Fonthal and Anna Manring.

EXPLORER’S QUEST: What factors are considered when choosing materials to construct a building?

CLUE: See ArchKidecture

Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point now covers more than 50 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.

Answer to last week’s Quest: A controller, an arm, a drive, an end effector and a sensor.