Vision is our big theme this year. We're looking to the past for ideas that got us where we are today; living fully into the present moment; and looking ahead for visionary ideas of the future. For the past several months, COVID-19 has shaken up the whole world – the future is now! We're all eager to get back to our lives, but will it ever be the same? How must we change and adapt?
Last year National Geographic published a special issue on Cities: Ideas for a Brighter Future (April 2019). I especially liked the conceptual ideas of architectural and urban planning firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). Their design focuses on principles, rather than a prescriptive approach. One fundamental idea is that cities of the future must stabilize and restore ecological systems. Another is that cities must be human-centered. They call these design principles “biomorphic urbanism”. Densely populated "urban hubs" are planned with the ecology of the site in mind. Water is protected and reused; energy is renewable; waste becomes a resource; high-speed transportation makes it easy to get around; culture and heritage are protected; the infrastructure is carbon neutral; and the economy is automated and online.
Of special interest to me: green zones are plentiful; parks and infrastructure allow water to percolate through the soil to recharge the water table; food is grown locally in urban farms and gardens; green roofs are plentiful; and living spaces include both common areas for socializing and spaces to retreat. I came of age in a world with only 3 billion people, and love my space and open areas! But, according to a United Nations projection, there will be 9.8 billion of us by 2050, with 70% living in cities. The ideas by SOM provide a vision of how we might change and adapt the cities of the future.
Last year National Geographic published a special issue on Cities: Ideas for a Brighter Future (April 2019). I especially liked the conceptual ideas of architectural and urban planning firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). Their design focuses on principles, rather than a prescriptive approach. One fundamental idea is that cities of the future must stabilize and restore ecological systems. Another is that cities must be human-centered. They call these design principles “biomorphic urbanism”. Densely populated "urban hubs" are planned with the ecology of the site in mind. Water is protected and reused; energy is renewable; waste becomes a resource; high-speed transportation makes it easy to get around; culture and heritage are protected; the infrastructure is carbon neutral; and the economy is automated and online.
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| Densely populated urban hubs are sustainable and liveable [Image copyright by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)] |
Of special interest to me: green zones are plentiful; parks and infrastructure allow water to percolate through the soil to recharge the water table; food is grown locally in urban farms and gardens; green roofs are plentiful; and living spaces include both common areas for socializing and spaces to retreat. I came of age in a world with only 3 billion people, and love my space and open areas! But, according to a United Nations projection, there will be 9.8 billion of us by 2050, with 70% living in cities. The ideas by SOM provide a vision of how we might change and adapt the cities of the future.
Learn More:
- This is What the Future's Sustainable Cities Could Look Like (subscription required, or visit your library). National Geographic, The Cities Issue, April 2019.
- What Should Cities Be Like in 2050? Peter J. Kindel of SOM. March 26, 2019.
- Monocle on Design: Cities of the Future. Podcast: Josh Fehnert interviews Daniel Ringelstein of SOM. May 21, 2019.
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