I read all comments with great interest and I am excited to see such a diversity of views and opinions regarding our future development. I agee that that all our communities must be brought together by a vision that goes beyond our system of governance.
I believe that, fundamentally, ours must be a cohesive, transcendent vision of architecturally outstading spaces fostering the development of creative and innovative activities in the spheres of governance, commerce, the arts and spirituality, manifested practically through diverse communities in time and space which stand out as exemplary historical manifestations of this vision.
Both Neufreistadt and Colonia Nova conform to this vision and, therefore, have growth and development potential. A third sim that would fit perfectly into this vision and would be particularly timely and, I would even venture to say, path-breaking for future developments in RL, would be "al-Andalus": a sim based on the Caliphate of Cordoba of the IXth and Xth Centuries.
The Caliph of Córdoba ruled the Iberian peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa from the city of Córdoba, from 929 to 1031. This period was characterized by remarkable success in trade and culture; many of the masterpieces of Islamic Spain were constructed in this period, including the famous Great Mosque of Córdoba. The title Caliph was claimed by Abd-ar-Rahman III on January 16, 929; he was previously known as the Emir of Córdoba. All Caliphs of Córdoba were members of the Umayyad dynasty; the same dynasty had held the title Emir of Córdoba and ruled over roughly the same territory since 756. The Caliph's rule is known as the splendor of Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsula, and marked a rare peroid of relatively peaceful and creative cohabitation of the same territory by Muslims, Christians and Jews.
The economy of the Caliph was based on a considerable economic capacity - grounded in an important trade -, highly developed craftsmanship, and the most modern agricultural techniques in Europe. It based its economy on its money, which had a fundamental role in its financial splendor. The gold cordobesa money became the most important one of these ages, which was probably imitated later by the Carolingian empire. Córdoba, the capital of the Caliphate, reached a 450,000 inhabitants, probably making it the most important human center of the World in these times.
The cultural aspects are also amazing, in particular following Al-Hakam II's control of power. This caliph founded a library which would have attained 400, 000 volumes. The Caliph of Córdoba thus became famous for its philosophy, translating to medieval Europe works from ancient Greece. Ibn Masarra, Abentofain, Averroes who returned platonism to Europe, and the Jew Maimónides (whom prepared the assemblage of the ancient Aristotelian philosophy with Christianism) were some of these famous thinkers, although the majority were known for their groundbreaking achievements in medicine, mathematics and astronomy.
An "al-Andalus" sim could illustrate these historical aspects of the caliphate in 2L whilst at the same time, contributing to a vital debate currently raging in political, legal and cultural studies: is Islam compatible with democracy and human rights? We could, for example, take such concepts as "umma" (the community), "shura" (consultation) and "sharia" (Islamic law) and integrate them in our CDS framework, thus illustrating the fact that active citizen participation in their own system of governance is a universal, transcendent concept applicable across space, time and cultural diversity.
Finally, the magnificent architecture of Cordoba, Granada and Seville of this period (Palace of Alhambra, Great Mosque of Cordoba etc) will provide us with brilliant sources of inspiration for "al-Andalus" archtecture and public spaces.
I therefore enthusiastically support Ashcroft's proposal of a medieval Arabian theme for our next sim, to be named "al-Andalus" and modelled on the Caliphate of Cordoba of IXth and Xth Century Spain.
