In 2050, it is predicted that 70 percent of the world’s population will live in mega-cities. Today, many previously decayed urban neighborhoods are being reclaimed, renovated and re-populated by young Millennials who want to live, work, shop and play without having to spend time traveling on gridlocked roads. This is the future of cities.
A Future City will not be limited to the incorporated lines of today. A future city will grow into surrounding areas, merging with nearby cities. By 2050, Mumbai will have 42.4 million people; Kinshasa, Republic of Congo. 35 million; Tokyo 32.6 million; New York City, 24.3 million. They will contain more population than many countries.
Future Cities will depend on connectivity. Many large urban areas are working as fast as they can to build fiber optic loops through their cities. There will be superfast wi-fi and radio waves to charge your devices without plugging in. Smart Cities will rely heavily on the Internet of Things in the distribution of energy, water and waste control. Privacy will be replaced by “transparency.” Networks of sensors will monitor use of facilities and resources. The contents of your refrigerator to when and how long you shower to your toilet habits to what you are watching on TV will be data-collected in real time. Your garbage will be sucked out of your house directly, analyzed and processed like sewage. In the spirit of “transparency” your use of electricity or water and your “waste-profile” will be public knowledge. In an effort to get people to cooperate. the power of the crowd will be part of governance. In other words, public shaming, as done in present day China.
Since most people will have sub-dermal chips, individually targeted advertising will appear on electronic billboards you are passing or on your social media sites based on the collection of such data. As Saskia Sassen, co-chair of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia asks, “When does sensored become censored?” I have to admit I like her thinking.
You often see sensors placed on roadways in LA gathering data that Future City planners will utilize to access the transportation needs of tomorrow. Future cities will concentrate growth around transportation hubs. There will be electric vehicles and bicycles. The goal will be carbon neutral cities where the air quality is so good that buildings will once again have windows that open; in fact, they may have windows that open onto vertical farm spaces.
Vertical farm spaces may be part of the design of the buildings of the future. Using hydroponics and greenhouse techniques, vast amounts of vertical space may become a productive part of the food production of the mega-cities to come. Farming techniques may be a popular subject taught at public library “maker-spaces,” although commercial agriculture will still be the main food supply source.
High-density residential neighborhoods will share open spaces and public facilities. Buildings will reach new heights. In fact, a building may be its very own neighborhood, its very own city, containing not only its own energy grid, but shops, offices, living, maker, entertainment and recreational spaces. Aging citizens will live in half-condo/half-life support modules. There will be fewer children and more cats and lots of robots for maintenance jobs.
The words “sustainable” and “renewable” drive all the plans for these future cities. But there is another important word regarding these communities—regenerative. Mega-cities may not just consume energy; they must be able to replenish it as well. Recycling technologies will develop right alongside the high consumption needs of future mega population densities. Waste management for future generations is going to be one heck of a career choice.
A NOTE FROM THE NOW…
Remember, cities are made up of people and relationships. Cities and neighborhoods and their culture evolve. Not a popular concept among those used to instant gratification. You cannot mix up a Topanga neighborhood like a glass of Tang. A population is accompanied by a density of ideas and different skill sets that merge together, leading to innovation and woven into a rich fabric of culture.
Remember Brasilia? The “perfect” futuristic city built in 1956? It took more than 50 years for its neighborhoods to develop. Some things need time.
Utopian idealists often require a coercive regulatory hand to force people to act according to a “vision.” Group control can impair personal freedom and crush innovation. Who will be the elite, decision-making class? Where will individualism find a home? Will humans become like ants, termites or bees…just a part of a greater organism?
I wonder what kind of person one has to be to fit the middle of the Bell Curve of the Future City citizen. Where will those outside that Bell Curve fit in? My people!
One thing we know for certain: adapting to rapid change is going to be the norm.
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