Let’s raise our heads from the day to day and imagine what medium and high-density cities will, and should, be like in the future to deal with existing and new challenges.
Here are a few examples.
Future cities must address climate change and futurologist Vincente Guallarte thinks they will and do a lot more. Including actively filtering carbon dioxide out of the air to absorb CO2, just like trees do. To accomplish this, Guallarte wants to bring sustainable industries and agriculture to cities, with greenhouses atop every building. But for Guallarte’s proposal to work, he says, cities will have to learn to submit to the laws and principles of nature.
Urban planners also have big plans for energy supply. Like in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany there’s a groundbreaking project to produce green hydrogen in homes, to be used as fuel for trucks.
Architects and urban planners are expecting to see entirely new approaches to communal living, as well as new concepts for autonomous supply chains, repurposing of old buildings, and local food generation.
Architect Arno Brandhuber thinks existing buildings, and the possibilities they offer, have been underestimated. His own business headquarters are an old silo in Berlin’s Lichtenberg district. And, his most provocative project, called "Anti-Villa" is a repurposed East German cotton knitwear factory.
If you’re interested in the possibilities for future cities watch this fascinating video from DW Documentary.