<
https://www.positive.news/society/what-will-urban-living-look-like-in-the-future/>
"Wooden towers rise above the tree canopy, their facades alive with plants and
shimmering solar cladding. The hum of traffic is gone. Instead, a quiet feet of
autonomous robovans glides along dedicated lanes, linking neighbourhoods in
smooth, predictable loops.
It’s a warm summer afternoon in 2037, and shoppers wander under covered
walkways inspired by the porticoes of Bologna. Woodland weaves through housing
districts, workplaces and civic squares. Streets smell of pine after rain. The
skyline is timber and green rather than glass and glare.
Every building generates its own energy through integrated solar and micro wind
systems, and collects and recycles water. Lighting, heating and ventilation
respond automatically to occupancy and weather, guided by embedded IoT
(Internet of Things) sensors. Temperature, humidity, air quality and movement
are monitored constantly, optimising everything without residents lifting a
finger.
For the one million residents who have called Forest City 1 home since it
opened in 2032, this is normal life. The young professionals priced out of the
housing market and bored of identikit commuter estates found opportunities and
something fresh in this trailblazing city. A Community Land Trust model ensured
affordability, separating land ownership from property ownership, giving local
residents control over how their community’s assets are managed. The 350,000
homes that have been built here softened prices nationally, pulling the average
UK house price down by 4%.
New energy systems built around solar, small modular reactors and advanced
district loops give households energy security. Waste, utilities and much of
the transport infrastructure run below ground – all planned and buried before
the first flagstone was laid. AI quietly manages water, traffic and energy
flows, balancing them across this smart city.
This may sound like science fiction, but Forest City 1 is not a pipedream. It
could be built in years not decades. The concept comes from Joe Reeve, founder
of the non-partisan political movement Looking for Growth (LFG), and former
journalist Shiv Malik. Their vision is anchored in a real site: avast plot on
the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border near Newmarket and Haverhill. The project is
gathering support from investors, central government and even local residents."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
