Perhaps, existential crisis is an inevitable part of the human condition.

Anyone reflective enough to spare a minute or two to question their existence and their reason for being; will begin to crave a sense of longing for a meaningful life — and the inability to fulfill this longing then causes a downward spiral of rumination.

Does that description resonate with you? Have you ever asked yourself:

• Why do I exist?
• What am I living for?
• What do I want to do?
• How should I spend this finite time?

It’s perfectly fine to not know the answers to these questions…

When I was a kid, I loved reading (and watching) Fullmetal Alchemist. I’m pretty sure I still do. To my fiction-craving brain, it was a fascinating tale.

The story revolves around brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, who happen to be “alchemists” — those who practice the art of “matter transmutation.”

The prologue kicks off with the two young alchemists attempting to resurrect their dead mother. To summon her soul back to the living world, a vessel is needed. And so they gathered ingredients to alchemize a human body.

This is the recipe they used:

Water (35 L), Carbon (20 kg)…

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

This adage has never been more true than it is now. The internet has enabled us to compare ourselves not just with the people around us, but everywhere else. And with a dominance hierarchy encompassing the entire globe, it becomes nigh-impossible for us to stand at the top.

No matter what we’re good at, there’s always someone better than us.

In reality, it’s been like that since the dawn of time. It’s just that we didn’t have the means to perceive it, and as another saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” …

Everything is content nowadays. Literally everything, even your insecurities, misfortunes, and traumas. There’s a reason for that.

Turning your insecurities into content implies vulnerability, which apparently is one of the best traits you can have as a writer. By being vulnerable, it becomes easier for readers to see you as a human being, and therefore resonate with your work.

But there’s a catch: Vulnerable writing is a delicate art.

Some people have mastered that art and became successful writers. And thus, their calling their insecurities “content” is now justified. …

A few days ago, I finished reading Leonardo da Vinci’s biography by Walter Isaacson. This book is easily the best 30 bucks I’ve spent in lockdown. Such an amazing read! My mind was absolutely blown.

I’m sure you know who Leonardo da Vinci is (or at least have heard his name before), but I’ll refresh your memory anyway: With expertise spanning virtually all fields known to man — arts, science, engineering, humanities — Leonardo has been dubbed the “Renaissance Man.”

He is, arguably, history’s most creative genius.

How is it possible to become an expert in so many fields? And…

Table of Contents
1. About us
2. Topics we're looking for
3. Expectations for our writers
4. How to write with us

About us

Hi! This is The Urban Condition, a new publication for all things urban. We publish stories about how humans interact with the cities they live in.

Do you live in a city? Most likely, you are — more than half of humanity now lives in cities, after all. These massive places are now an integral part of our civilization, and for better or worse, they mold and influence us in ways we don’t always realize.

That’s what we’re…

The Gestalt principle aptly states: “The whole is other than the sum of its parts.” Something big is often a composite of various small things, but at the same time, that big whole is also a distinct entity in itself — not just the simple addition of its smaller parts.

A city, by that logic, can be understood as its own independent existence, as well as a composite of neighborhoods, streets, laneways, buildings, open spaces, and other urban elements. Furthermore, different types of whole cities require different elements — different “parts.”

A “smart city,” for instance, requires cutting-edge technological infrastructures…

In today’s urban development discourse, urbanists are extensively discussing the emerging concept of “creative cities.” It has become the topic of several works of academic literature, some of which are written by renowned names such as David Yencken and Charles Landry.

The concept has also been internationally legitimized by UNESCO through its UCCN (UNESCO Creative Cities Network) program, which catalogs creative cities from all around the globe to foster cooperative relationships between these cities. Some members of UCCN include Barcelona, Dakar, Melbourne, Shanghai, and Toronto.

At the time of this writing, there are 246 cities included in the network. This…