I'm sure you all know about the whole Chernobyl debacle back in the 80s. It was a pretty big deal and most people have heard of it. What a lot of people don't know about Chernobyl, though, is the city that was undoubtedly the most affected by the disaster.

The city of Pripyat, Ukraine was home to most of the people who worked at or on the nuclear plant at Chernobyl. It was a fully contained urban environment. There were homes(mainly apartment buildings), shops and stores, schools, entertainment, and even a museum. When I had to research Chernobyl for a project in high school, I became fascinated with this place called Pripyat. Now that I am going to school for architecture, I am even more enamored with the idea of a completely independent city.

I have tried many times to design this place that I have been dreaming of ever since I discovered Pripyat, Ukraine, but I can never seem to get it right. I can picture it, all the buildings, streets, even the people, living their lives, some never even acknowledging the fact that there is a world outside of their little city. But every time I try to draw it or describe it to people, it just doesn't seem right.

I guess that is truly the point of this task, though. I have created a place in my mind that only exists there, to the point that when I attempt to bring it closer to reality, it loses the very thing that makes it so great, which is the fact that it can never exist.