Old-world-charm tiny towns, real and imagined.
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What is a Nontropolis
What is a Nontropolis
A Nontropolis is the opposite of a metropolis. A Nontropolis is an old-world-charm tiny town or neighbourhood with an organic urban scape. The term, a neologism, was coined by Marcello Baaijens.
Makes your soul sing
Makes your soul sing
TV programmes such as 'America's Got Talent' show us how much we love it when souls sing, literally and figuratively. On that note, Marcello's soul 'sings' when he explores a Nontropolis, sits down in its streets and start sketching it essence.
Space for Life
Space for Life
The winding alleyways, arches, steps, and piazza's that make up a Nontropolis slow down life, hold space for life, and allow for our souls to 'sing'. Modern towns and cities are designed for efficiency and speed, often overlooking the spiritual needs of humans.
Where are they?
Where are they?
Nontropolises can be found anywhere, but are most prevelent on hill tops in places like Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, the Greek islands etc. Their architecture is vernacular in nature, not planned, but built by the people who live there, by hand, in response to the topography of the terrain.
The Miniatures
The Miniatures
When one year Marcello could not travel to discover new Nontropolises and he began creating his own miniature Nontropolis from timber offcuts.
650 Miniature houses and churches featured in the Nontropolis exhibition in Wellington, New Zealand, in 2026.
The Book
The Book
His friend Lynsey Gedye from Wellington, totally resonated with the Nontropolis Marcello was creating. It inspired him to write his first book: 100 Love Stories, short stories about love and life in Nontropolis. The book was launched at the exhibition in Wellington in 2026.
Urban Sketches by Marcello
Urban Sketching:
Urban Sketching:
The practice of drawing on location from observation. Marcello uses currently Neoncolour II pastels on paper. He also used water colours and soft pastel.
He likes to draw on location, as it give him the excuse to linger, time to observe, absorb, and express his experience of the essence present.
Portfolio
Portfolio
Marcello made hundreds of sketches in various countries.
Here are some of his favourites;
Latest Urban Sketches
Latest Urban Sketches
Sicily 2026
Nontropolis in 3D
Marcello took his miniatures on a road trip around the North Island of New Zealand.
Miniatures are available from The Kerikeri Merchants, Kerikeri, New Zealand.
100 Love Stories by Lynsey Gedye
Marcello's friend Lynsey Gedye from Wellington, New Zealand loves Nontropolis. When Marcello created 650 miniature houses from timber offcuts, he got inspired, and started writing short stories about the imaginary people living in them.
This resulted in Lynsey writing his first book titled 100 Love Stories. These are not stories about romantic love, but about love you come across in daily life. Reading the book is like walking through the streets of Nontropolis, and learning about the lives of the people that live there.
In turn Lynsey's stories inspired Marcello, again to turn 5 of the stories into short films. See below.
Lynsey Gedye, Author
Lynsey Gedye, Author
I write short stories about love. The quiet, the missed, and the ones that stay. 100 Love Stories (2025). One story each week, for those who feel it even when nothing is said. May you find love.
Follow Lysey's latest writing on Substack: https://substack.com/@lynseygedye
100 Love Stories is available in e-book, soft cover and hard cover formats:
E-book and Paperback: https://amzn.asia/d/07JLIHt0 [shipped from Australia]
Hardbound: https://amzn.eu/d/06jkp4qp [shipped from the UK]
Follow Lysey's latest writing on Substack: https://substack.com/@lynseygedye
Short films:
Video and narration: Marcel Baaijens
Text: from '100 Love Stories' by Lynsey Gedye
Merchandise
Urban sketches and the Nontropolis logo have been applied to a range of products that can be ordered online. A print-on-demand platform will manufacture the items near you, wherever you are in the world. Click on one of the images below to be taken to an external shop page where you can find the entire collection.
The Nontropolis Exhibition
The Nontropolis exhibition was held at The Thistle Hall Gallery in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand in January 2026. It was a collaboration between Marcello and Lynsey. It featured 650 miniatures, urban sketches, mixed media works, painted furniture. Lynsey launched his book 100 Love Stories. The short films based on some of the stories premiered as well. Below some images from the Exhibition:
The Next Chapter:
The Next Chapter:
Marcello has visited many, almost abandoned Nontropolises, with the most stunning, soul enhancing urban scapes and incredible stone houses, small and large. He has designed a way to make these buildings comfortable for 21h century living needs.
Former village economies may not have become unsustainable. Metropolises may have lured the young away with the promise of a more modern and exciting way of living. The elderly that stayed are gradually passing away leaving houses abandoned.
Where others may see decline, outdated habitats and ways of living, Marcello sees a huge potential that can save these Nontropolises, and offer a holistically better alternative for those who are worn out from a live in a metropolis.
Some of these Nontropolises are closer to a town with all essential services than many suburbs of metropolises. This means that you don't have to live without the neccesities that largen towns offer.
Being surrounded by nature, with houses built with natural materials, Nontropolises can offer healthier living environments, neighbours you know, a real community vs. a virtual one.
The way we work has changed and continues to change, which can sustain live in a Nontropolis. Where realtors often AirBnbs as the only way to make a living, Marcello sees different, more sustainable options.
Marcello looks at these nontropolises with the eye of an artist (seeing their beauty), the eye of an architect (recognising their affordability and potential), and the eye of a holistic healer (offering holistic benefits that a metropolis can't).
He will attampt to document in video the potental, qualities, holistic benefits, and viablity of Nontropolises and make a holistic case for why Nontropolises should be rehabilitated and repopulated.
Nontropolises offer affordable home ownership opportunities, fo r those who cannot afford a home in a metropolis. Homes that come with the added benefit of healthier and happier lives that will make their soul sing.
Marcello Baaijens, Creator
Marcello Baaijens, Creator
Marcello is a multi-creative. He has a MSc in Architecture, a Master in Art and Art Education, is a certified community dance tutor, and a certified holistic therapist. He has pioneered art studios and art educational opportunities for artists with intellectual disabilities, he pioneered Sitdance, a seated dance programme for residents in memory care setting, and empowered care facility staff to implement Sitdance through workshops and video resources. He has worked as a mentor, holistic healing facilitator, multimedia artist, and renovated/designed/built private dwellings.
Being retired has freed him up from the need to work for money, and led to the creation of Nontropolis. He is excited about its next chapter, and dreams of breathing new life into an actual Nontropolis.
Marcello is a Globalite who has lived in many places in the world and is in the process of moving to Galicia, Spain.
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