Republic City

Republic City, the capital of the United Republic of Nations, is a large metropolis on the shores of Yue Bay. It is located in the northwestern Earth Kingdom near the Mo Ce Sea. A colony of the Fire Nation during the Hundred Year War, the city was founded by Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang after the conflict's conclusion as a settlement housing citizens from all four nations. A modern urban center, it has significant high-rise development, notable technological advancements, and widespread use of automobiles, motorcycles, and airships.

Republic City is home to a variety of iconic landmarks. These include an island with a massive statue of Avatar Aang looking out over the bay, which was a gift from the Fire Nation to stand as a symbol of peace and goodwill, a downtown station, a large and popular city park, suspension bridges, and skyscrapers. The police force, led by Chief Lin Beifong, utilizes metalbending for civil law enforcement. The vast metropolis conducts pro-bending matches; the city's number one form of sporting activity.

During Avatar Korra's youth, Republic City faced high levels of crime and an anti-bender revolt led by the Equalists.

History
In the aftermath of the Hundred Year War, Team Avatar, led by Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, came to an agreement with Earth King Kuei on the establishment of the Harmony Restoration Movement, which would return the Fire Nation colonies to the jurisdiction of the Earth Kingdom. One of the consequences of this action was the relocation of Fire Nation citizens from the settlements they had created over the past century. This order of removal had considerable negative demographic consequences not considered by any of the parties to the agreement. A year into the operation of the movement, Zuko withdrew his support after being accused of being a traitor, precipitating a confrontation with his friend, the Avatar.

After a narrow avoidance of war, Aang and Zuko eventually resolved this impasse by not removing the Fire Nation colonies, but regulating the balance of power by creating a fifth nation separate from the original four. This new nation would be a society open to anyone from the four nations, who would be able to reside in, and be governed by a council with representatives from each of the four nations. They named this new nation the United Republic of Nations, and established Republic City as its capital at a location in the northwestern Earth Kingdom.



With the resources of all four nations, Republic City rapidly developed into a metropolis over the next seventy years. Despite being a city directly established for political considerations rather than an evolution of an original settlement, its population and sophistication increased beyond reasonable expectation, growing the number of vagabonds around Republic City.

However, the city has not been without internal strife. Forty-two years before Avatar Korra arrived in the city, an individual by the name of Yakone threatened the city before being dealt with by Avatar Aang.

As of 170 ASC, Republic City began to experience demographic and political problems as a direct consequence of its nature as a large city. Organized crime became rampant and an anti-bending revolution arose. The city also started facing issues with wealth inequality among the citizens.

Cityscape


In contrast to the other major cities of the Earth, Republic City is a true modern urban center. The city has developed the architectural sophistication to construct taller buildings, and there is significant high-rise development. Stylistically, the city generally incorporates traditional ornamentation with far more advanced structural techniques, but there are some departures from what is considered traditional, such as City Hall and the Bending Arena. Despite this, there are still landmarks in the traditional style, such as Air Temple Island.

From phonographs to fish jerky, downtown Republic City is a cultural melting pot of shops and stands featuring goods from all four nations.

City Hall


The City Hall is a center for governance in Republic City, and is also a venue for public press conferences and gatherings, with a large square before its front doors. It is here that the new Avatar, Korra, made her maiden official appearance. While the public building has an entrance typical of traditional architecture from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, its distinctive features, a large dome and four corner towers, is certainly a new style developed after the Hundred Year War.

Air Temple Island


Located in Yue Bay, Air Temple Island is the home of Tenzin and his family, and is therefore residence of one of the most powerful governing figures of Republic City. The temple was originally built by Avatar Aang himself. Comprised of several structures, including a large tower, several smaller buildings with blue roofs, and an open practice area, the Air Temple Island is home to Tenzin, his wife Pema, and their three children Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo.

Police headquarters


The police headquarters, often referred to simply as "Headquarters", is the base of operations for the metalbending police, and is where criminals and misfits in Republic City are taken in for arrest. The architecture of the police headquarters is comparable to that of standard Earth Kingdom buildings, with both the exterior and the interior being largely geometrical in design. Headquarters is overseen by Chief Lin Beifong, who firmly believes in military strength and is displeased at the challenge to her authority represented by Korra's arrival.

Aang Memorial Island


Aang Memorial Island is a small island off the coast of Yue Bay, located nearby Air Temple Island. It features a massive sculpture of Avatar Aang created by the Fire Nation some years after the end of the Hundred Year War for display in the bay of Republic City, where it would stand as a symbol of peace and goodwill. It depicts an older Aang clad in traditional Air Nomad attire, with the accompanying necklace he wore when Fire Lord Zuko announced the War's end at his coronation.

Republic City Park


Typical of other public construction achievements in Republic City, the city park is also on a large scale. Located in the city center peninsula, the city park is landscaped, with small hills, deciduous trees shading impeccably kept grass, and fine stone arch bridges. Unfortunately, due to the poverty of a large number of Republic City citizens, the city park has also become a place popular with vagabonds such as Gommu, whom Korra meets soon after her initial arrival in the city. It is known that fishing in the park is prohibited.

Bending Arena


Pro-bending is the most popular sport in Republic City, and official pro-bending matches are held in the city's Bending Arena. As a testament to the sport's popularity, this building has a golden appearance and is lit at night, making it a prominent city landmark. The arena is spacious enough to hold the pro-bending ring on which the contestants compete, a large pool of water far below the ring, and great numbers of spectators.

Central City Station


Central City Station is the city's main hub of transportation, though in recent years, it has been less utilized due to the advent of the Satomobile. However, it remains a busy commercial area. At the entrance of Central City Station is a statue in the honor of Fire Lord Zuko.

Republic City power plant
The Republic City power plant is the main source of electricity of the city. It is fueled by firebenders using lightning generation. According to Mako the pay for the work is pretty good.

Demographics


The population of Republic City is large by world standards, and the mass influx of immigrants from the four nations has caused considerable demographic challenges. The foremost of these challenges is inequality: the gap in wealth is considerable. Newcomers to the city appear unaware of these phenomena until their arrival, when they are presented with a considerable surprise. The Avatar herself believed its citizens to all be "living it up" and was shocked to discover vagabonds in the city park. With these difficult conditions, the populace seems ready to be stirred into a revolt against the perceived bending elite. A protestor expends relatively little effort in arousing anger in a crowd against an annoyed Korra.

As the center of commerce throughout the nations, organized crime appears to be very common in Republic City. Gangs such as the Triple Threat Triad lay claim to certain districts of the city, which they term "territories". In these areas, the control of triads appears to be considerable, with shopkeepers forced to pay them in order to secure their safety. This power over local business is significant considering the regular and frequent airship patrols by the city's police forces.

Transportation


The use of modern transportation methods such as automobiles, motorcycles, and airships is widespread in Republic City. The city also has invested considerably in advanced transportation infrastructure, with feats of engineering such as a elevated mass transit system and several suspension bridges connecting the city center with its outlying districts.

Trivia

 * The concept of Republic City is inspired by several real world past and present locations. This includes Shanghai circa 1920s, Hong Kong, and Western cities such as New York and Vancouver. In particular, the giant Aang statue, the huge park, and the bridge are inspired by the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, and the Brooklyn Bridge, respectively, in New York City.
 * The rapid urbanization and technological advances of the World of Avatar mirrors that of the twentieth century in the real world, in which automobiles, towering buildings, trolleys, and other great engineering feats have come to be.
 * The park in Republic City also resembles the Hyde Park in London, with its "Speaker's Corner", where anyone can stand up and speak to the public. In the Republic City Park, a man is speaking to the public with a megaphone about the Equalists' views against benders.
 * The city is divided into districts. The only one known is the "Dragon Flats" district, home of Hiroshi Sato's family.
 * Republic City is located near Makapu Village.
 * The tower that Korra and Bolin visit resembles the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.