How Do You Envision the City of Future?

How do you envision the city of the future?

We do not know what the future holds, but the reality now is that our urban spaces are overcrowded and polluted. Our current model is no longer sustainable; therefore many initiatives both in public and private sector are promoting new guidelines for the development of our cities. Depending on the access to resources, geopolitical situation and development level of the countries, we can find three main scenarios for city systems:

-Countries or regions with a primate city.

-Countries or regions with divided system of cities.

-Polycentric city systems.

This polycentric city system is a network of cities with similar size and/or economic power. This is the scenario that we can find at upper income nations like USA, Australia or Europe. With mature economies and slow projected rates of future growth, this polycentric city will persist and develop in the near future. I will focus this essay in this kind of city system, since these cities will lead the transition to smart and green cities.

The future city I envision has been developed to achieve three main goals: Sustainability, Productivity and Liveability. And it is firmly founded over principles like innovation, efficiency, adaptability, equity, integration and subsidiarity.  

In terms of sustainability, the future city will protect and sustain our natural environments, basing its development on new terrain thinking, considering topologies and surface dynamics. Green architecture will not only be focused on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions, but also in the efficient use of energy and water.  Future buildings will improve the use of natural light, rationalize the water supply and manage the disposal of garbage in a much cleaner and responsible way. We will use eco-friendly transportation means, increasing the use of bicycles and electrical vehicles. The green areas like parks and gardens will be everywhere, but these spaces have to be functional, helping water recycling, temperature controlling, and even for integrated urban agriculture.