The future of cities

As urban designers and landscape architects we continually strive to craft a vision of the future, working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders from decision makers to end users. However, we do not work in a vacuum of what is happening politically, economically and environmentally in the world.

At Node we are keen not only to consider the immediate requirements of our work but also think about future proofing our masterplans to meets the fundamental technological, environmental, economic and political changes that are clearly going to influence place making over the next fifty years.

The concept of a ‘new utopia’ has been considered throughout civilised history by a wide range of political theorists, urban planners and environmentalists. Ebenezer Howard’s theory on the creation of garden cities was a clear manifesto on the creation of a new utopia at the end of the last century. Retaining this notion is crucial if we are to ultimately create places that are designed for people and address the purpose and function of our city centres and the creation of new neighbourhoods. The building industry is not yet properly grappling with political, economic, technological and environmental changes, let alone genuinely discussing a new utopia meeting the needs of the present, considering the needs of the future and ensuring well-being and happiness for all.

There is a current debate amongst political and economic theorists as to whether we are on the edge of a new political and economic epoch: a fundamental change to our political and economic structures. These arguments include the impact of neo liberalism and the supremacy of the market versus more state intervention and whether we will move to a period of post capitalism driven by populism, the supremacy of technology and the knowledge economy.

The concept of a basic minimum income for all and a reduced working week to 15 hours is already being debated, on the basis that technology will replace a great number of jobs in the future. The debate about whether businesses will have to pay tax based on number of robots used as a way of paying for the basic minimum income sounds far-fetched, but is being discussed by post capitalism theorists. In Finland they are already trialling a basic minimum income as a concept.

All systems evolve over time. We have gone through a number of key periods of change including agricultural and industrial revolutions. We have moved from feudalism to capitalism. Are we about to go through a knowledge and technological revolution which is going to fundamentally change the way our cities will evolve. Are we ready for a post capitalist society? What does this mean for people and cities?

Already, the rise of smart phones, access to data, social media, the sharing economy and access to finance through crowd funding is altering key tenets of capitalism regarding control of finance and the importance of ownership. Airbnb and Uber operate on a model that does not requiring purchase of significant assets but sharing assets owned by others. Social media has changed the relationship with how people communicate across cities and the globe. Apps such as Foursquare allow access to information which only 10 years ago could not have been envisaged.

The concept of the smart city and empowerment of individuals through big data has the potential to change our relationship with cities. An increase in leisure time, internet shopping, delivery drones, driverless cars and other forms of new technology also need to be taken into consideration when we design cities in the future. Planners, urban designers and architects need to engage with smart technology experts and individuals to better understand the implications of these technological changes and the possibilities they may create.

We are looking to engage with these issues directly as part of our work on the Knowledge Hub masterplan in Birmingham city centre, which has received government funding through the Digital Catapult to act as a test bed of ideas.

Mass mobility and new infrastructure and the speed it takes to get from place to place may well change considerably. The concept of hyper loop technology which creates a pod that travels in a vacuum is already being developed which changes the relationship of acceptable commuting distances.

The environmental agenda should also not be ignored. Fundamentally a general consensus in the scientific community exists that global warming is occurring and if we do not move towards a more sustainable model the impact of a two degree global rise in global temperatures will have dire and irreversible consequences. A few dissenting voices (including some notable global leaders) disagree with this view and believe we will find a way through technology to divert an environmental disaster occurring.

It may in fact be that a rejection of technology, embracing a slower pace of life, without the increasing pressure to be permanently available offers an alternative vision. My view is that this will become more important and the idea of hand-made goods and access to green space and nature to reconnect with the real world will become something people will actively seek: but that this will go hand in hand with the smart technological revolution. The web of new technology may allow greater individual participation and the creation of cities from the bottom up.

So what does all of this mean? At Node, we want to raise a debate of how the concept of the smart city and future economic, political and environmental changes can be addressed to create cities that are designed for people and improve people’s happiness and wellbeing.

Critically, we should never lose sight of the fact that people should be at heart of our vision for the future.