A Glimpse into the Future of Urban Life

written by  20323 Choi Jae Hyuk

Global urban populations have steadily risen, and over 50% of the world lives in cities. The World Bank expects this number to increase by 1.5 times by 2045 to over 6 billion people.

 

However, many cities around the world are currently facing numerous challenges regarding overpopulation and environmental pollution. The sudden influx of job seekers into urban areas, especially in developing countries, has proven concerning as issues such as the destruction of the local environment and unsafe, overcrowded housings arise. 

To combat these challenges and lead a new way into a next generation of urban development projects, many nations have devised innovative and creative designs to transform existing districts into a more functional form or develop new living spaces while preserving the nature that surrounds them. 

Saudi Arabia is one of the most notable countries pushing numerous projects to improve urban lifestyles to coexist with nature naturally. The NEOM development project in Saudi Arabia’s vision of what a sustainable lifestyle will look like in the future consists of different residential areas placed all around Saudi Arabia. It was commissioned by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of Saudi Vision 2030 in order to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels and improve the quality of life. 

NEOM is continuing the construction of a number of different city and industry designs in different regions around Saudi Arabia, but one of the most shocking is The Line, a city compacted into a form factor of a 170 km long line. 

The Line utilizes a linear city design, an urban plan built in the shape of a band that elongates longer as it grows but never wider. It aims to address common issues faced in urban life, such as pollution created by heavy carbon emissions or damaged wildlife. It plans to have no roads or cars, and to connect both ends of the city with a high-speed rail to allow for quick navigation. 

The project focuses heavily on the efficient management of available space through vertical construction. This creates a more feasible environment for the people to live in through a controlled and sealed climate. 

Maldives is another country striving for life in the city, this time on the sea. Threatened by the rising sea levels caused by global warming, Maldives is among many island nations losing physical territory that will be submerged in seawater in the coming decades. 

To combat this problem, the government of Maldives is working in conjunction with Dutch architecture firm Waterstudio to construct a city that floats. Inspired by the brain coral, it formulates large communities of floating housings and connects them via waterways and alleyways. 

The design is still in the early stages, and issues such as safety under extreme weather conditions and powering the buildings are under discussion. Still, it promises to be a feasible long-term outcome for communities that are facing immediate threats from rising sea levels. 

Many projects that are reimagining the future of modern lifestyle highlight an important aspect that has become the main focus of our society: efficiency. The Line’s central focus is to eliminate the need for carbon-heavy transportation by making many essential services easily accessible on foot by grouping similar facilities together to create clusters. Separation of business sectors from residential areas is something we have already seen in extremely urbanized megacities around the world, and cities like The Line simply plan to take this idea further. 

Improving living environments is another focus many urban projects take on as increasing concerns over pollution problems in cities continue to escalate. Green spaces placed around streets and distributing parks evenly across concentrated areas mitigate environmental pollution and help psychologically. 

Though many questions remain on whether these projects will really be implemented and what urban life in the future will look like, we can take a glimpse into the change that will take place from these projects as population growth and environmental concerns continue to intensify. Effective planning will be of utmost importance in order to house 6 billion people. Whether it is efficient usage of available space in the form of vertical housings or grouping residential and business services separately for easier access, many things will change. As we edge closer to a quickly evolving future, it would be worthwhile being on the lookout for what’s changing.