In the last three years, we have gone from asking ourselves how we will live together to doubting if we can ever live together.
Despite the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the anticipated urban transformations resulting from it have yet to materialize. Global polarization and geopolitical unrest have us fixated on immediate issues, overshadowing our outlook for the future.
From the climate crisis to the complexities of migration, it's clear that these are some of the issues that will significantly impact our urban landscapes. Therefore, now more than ever, it's all in, but it's up to us.
The good news is that people, organizations, and start-ups from all over the world are quietly exploring and testing new possibilities, new technologies, and new answers for the most.
Built projects are not isolated ideas materialized in a plot, but new elements within complex ecosystems. That’s why the development of our cities has been a fundamental pillar of ArchDaily’s goal of empowering diverse voices and ideas to drive positive change in our built environment.
As World Cities Day 2023 is about to take place, this issue places the spotlight on the future of our cities worldwide.
| Editor's Spotlight
by Nicolás Valencia, Editorial and Data Manager
Dania Park, a brownfield-turned waterfront park in Sweden designed by Thorbjörn Andersson and Sweco Architects. Image © Sweco Architects + Thorbjörn Andersson
In 2020, 281 million people were living in a country other than their countries of birth. Now, due to recent ongoing armed conflicts in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, these numbers are expected to rise significantly. Every single day, cities receive masses of people, which places immense pressure on the entire ecosystem, from housing to public transport and the healthcare system.
Additionally, the global population is still growing rapidly, although it is expected to slow nearly to a halt by the end of the century. By 2100, the world’s population is projected by the UN to reach approximately 10.9 billion, with Africa being the only world region expected to experience strong population growth for the rest of this century, increasing from 1.3 billion to 4.3 billion by 2100—primarily concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa.
However, these diverse dynamics can be observed at regional levels, with emerging countries leading the way in both demographic and economic shifts.
With larger economies comes greater challenges, including, but not limited to, enhancing existing institutions, addressing inadequate infrastructure, and managing the increasing percentages of both middle and lower classes. Economic inequality underlies many major contemporary conflicts and political debates. While some city governments are working with immersive environments to predict future events and trends, others are struggling to ensure access to clean drinking water.
CH House by ODDO architects. Image © Hoang Le
Rising temperatures—prompted by the climate crisis—fuel environmental degradation, worsen natural disasters and increase disaster frequency, leading to food and water insecurity as well as economic disruptions due to unexpected changes in the production matrix, which will fuel geopolitical conflicts in turn. Therefore, cities (and countries) should prioritize resilience in an endless cycle of planning, mitigation, and reconstruction.
In these cities, 6.13 billion square meters of buildings are constructed every year. These buildings should be designed according to the climatic conditions of the present and, to reduce waste, be built for a 100-year lifespan. Moreover, the crisis urges architects to develop energy-efficient and low-footprint solutions for buildings and construction and to explore recycling and the potential of a circular economy.
Concrete Choreography, a project exploring 3D printing of concrete columns at ETH Zurich. Image © Axel Crettenand
In that regard, 3D printing, automation, machine learning, BIM implementation, and the Internet of Things have attracted attention since they promise to ignite a revolution in the construction field—whether industry workers like it or not—by reducing construction and prefabrication costs, improving custom scalability, and reshaping architects’ required skills, including overseeing and managing as features in their job descriptions.
Ultimately, on a finite planet, where infinite growth is expected to feed our growing population, these times require significant changes. That’s why this time we have placed the spotlight on some uplifting projects, interviews, and initiatives that are shedding light on a better future for everyone:
How to Achieve a Resilient City? First, Let it Shape Itself
Strategic Green Spaces: How to Make the Most of their Cooling Effects
How Community Participation Can Assist in Architectural and Urban Post-Disaster Reconstruction
Does Urban Development Drive Gentrification?
Next Generation of Landscape Architecture Leaders Focus on Climate, Equity, and Technology
| Recommended by Our Team
City Guides: Visit our collection of Architecture City Guides from all over the world. A selection created by our team of worldwide editors.
Video: Cities For People: In Conversation with Jan Gehl
Interview based on his world-renowned book, Cities for People, the first publication to reflect on how to properly develop cities on the human scale.
| The Story Behind
By Paula Pintos, Senior Projects Curator
Urban planners, architects, and city governments work on public landscape plans to provide communities with high-quality spaces, while addressing the sustainability issues our cities face. A relevant reference is the Wild Mile project, an eco-park along the North Branch of the Chicago River, by SOM.
It is impressive to see how, with this respectful intervention, what was once an industrial area of the river, has been transformed and revitalized into a beautiful park for the enjoyment of local communities. Wild Mile gives the city a renewed ecosystem and public space, introducing wildlife and environmental regeneration, and associated educational programs.
I had the opportunity to visit the project soon after its opening, and whether it was strolling through the floating gardens walkways, or sitting on the specially designed urban furniture, it was amazing how you could "get away" from the hustling city and experience a closer connection to nature.
