enkeltrum

Enkeltrum is a fictional urban design concept used in speculative fiction and worldbuilding to describe a city form organized around a single central hub. The term is not tied to a real place and is used to explore ideas about density, mobility, and resilience in imagined futures.

In enkeltrum designs, most daily functions—work, commerce, housing, and services—are anchored in the central district, with additional neighborhoods arranged in concentric rings or radial sectors. The layout aims to minimize travel to the core by supporting transit-oriented development and accessible public spaces. Buildings are typically modular and standardized to allow scalable growth and flexible use, while pedestrian and cycling networks emphasize non-automotive movement.

Origin and usage: The concept has appeared in worldbuilding discussions and science fiction writing as a thought experiment for future urban form. Proponents emphasize efficiency, walkability, and cohesive public realm, while critics point to potential risks such as monocentric vulnerability, social polarization, or overreliance on a single hub.

Variations: Some versions imagine multi-hub enkeltrum layouts, where several hubs share governance but the core remains the dominant axis of activity. Other variants test different densities, zoning rules, and transit technologies within the same central-hub framework.

Impact and reception: Enkeltrum serves as a tool for imagining scalable, compact cities and testing how a single-centre design performs under stress or rapid change in fictional settings.

See also: radial city, monocentric city, transit-oriented development, urban planning, worldbuilding.