Future Cities
We're going to be taking a trip in this entry into the near and far future and exploring how a number of the world's most iconic cities could look like in the upcoming decades, centuries, and millennia - and even venturing beyond Earth. Throughout this update, we'll be exploring a variety of possibilities - from entirely sustainable "green" cities, floating arcologies, eco-friendly communities, and much more - as well as the more traditional "futuristic" vision of the future to get a complete view of how our planet could possibly look like in the years to come. This update will also be addressing how the cities of tomorrow could incorporate sustainable energy sources, utilize clean transportation, deal with climate change, and more. Additionally, this entry will showcase some of my own visions of the future in combination with some views inspired by popular culture - as well as taking a look at a number of proposed buildings and projects - and how they might fit into the cities of the future if they were to ever be completed.
Paris
Our trip into the future begins with a trip to the famed French capital of Paris - one of the world's great cities. However, the city has long been a focus of high pollution - in fact, in recent years the city shortly had the world's worst air pollution, and numerous attempts at curbing the issue haven't made a dent. More substantive actions might need to be taken - so I'm envisioning a "green" future for the city, one where the city is in harmony with nature and emissions have been slashed to almost nothing - allowing the citizens to breathe easy for the first time in centuries. We'll begin in the suburbs of the city - where heavily polluting factories and industrial parks have been replaced with eco-friendly cities and communities. With CO2 emission-free buildings buildings dotting the city, greenery and parks around every corner, and clean energy sources and transportation incorporated wherever possible - these projects could dramatically change the quality of life for it's citizens.
We now travel into the heart of the city's historic center - where the iconic Haussmanian buildings have received their first real facelift in centuries. Hanging gardens now cover the facades and rooftops - and once congested city streets have finally been replaced by clean, efficient trams to cut down on emissions. With solar panels and windmills as well providing clean energy to the city - emissions and greenhouse gases will be cut down to practically nothing.
Here we take a look over the heart of a green Paris in 2100 - and with slender, modern, zero emission skyscrapers dotting the city's core, large avenues replaced by lush parks, and more clean transportation providing easy access across the city - Paris could seem truly seem rejuvenated.
Dubai
We travel from Europe to Asia for our next city of the future - the iconic city of Dubai. Dubai is already known for having one of the world's most modern and advanced skylines - but this forward-thinking city might take even bigger leaps in the years to come if several proposed mega-projects ever come to fruition. The Ziggurat Pyramid was proposed in 2008 as a pyramid-shaped arcology that would be entirely self-sustainable with all-natural energy sources such as wind and solar - and would also boast an efficient, clean public transport system to boot. Located on a shimmering lake of water on the edge of the desert and overflowing with lush greenery - it would resemble a modern day Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Due to Dubai's arid, hot climate and surrounding barren desert landscape - it's located at a strategic location to generate solar power in the future. In future years, advances in this field could make it one of the world's most important clean energy sources, especially as important oil and gas reserves in the region are slowly depleted in the upcoming centuries.
We finally venture into the heart of Dubai's skyline - and in the future, things could look quite a bit different. Today, massive skyscrapers like the the Burj Khalifa dominate the skyline - but in the future, they'll be dwarfed by even taller monoliths. The proposed Dubai City Tower could have potentially risen some 7,874 feet above the city - even towering over the floating highways of the future. After initially being unveiled in 2009, the project never broke ground - but if the project gets revived in upcoming years, it could produce one of the most epic buildings ever constructed.
Dubai's waterfront has always been always growing - and it also figures to change quite a bit more in the coming years. A futuristic swath of towers and high rises connected by a series of "hyperloop" tubes one day could push the core of the city further and further out to sea - and even totally encompassing famous landmarks like the Burj Al Arab by the mid 2100s.
Hong Kong
Our look at Asia's future continues on with a trip to Hong Kong - a city that's already seen more than it's fair share of change over the last couple of centuries. Over the last couple of decades especially, land reclamation projects have given the city more and more land to work with as Hong Kong looks to grow even bigger. Hong Kong's modern skyline will only continue to grow larger as the years go by - and eventually, only a few of the city's most iconic landmarks such as the Bank of China Tower will be recognized as more and more futuristic towers go up.
The once-massive Victoria Harbour might soon turn into to a large river as the city grows even bigger - and in the far future, floating cities and arcologies might even provide the city even more means of growth. In the far future, if sea levels continue to rise even further - other means of living may have to be found. Floating arcologies along the submerged waterfronts of cities might be one of the best solutions available for the cities of the future.
London
Our trip into the future now takes us to the iconic global city of London - and things have changed quite a bit over the centuries. Our first view is from the famed St. Paul's Cathedral in 2239 - which is a mix of new and old in the future. Although the iconic dome and street layout remains the same, if zoning and sightline requirements were to change in the future, it could be a common sight to see monolithic skyscrapers and futuristic structures popping up right next to historical landmarks.
A view of the City in the far future. Central London is now one of the continent's most important transportation hubs, as hovercars and planes come in from all over. The Gherkin is now almost lost among a sea of futuristic skyscrapers, and much of the original road layout by this point has been replaced with a more efficient elevated highway system while hover cars provide the most convenient transport.
A look at Canary Wharf in 2247. The skyline of the district has changed dramatically, and due to rising water levels in the future the layout of the canals has changed quite a bit as well.
A nighttime view of the Palace of Westminster in 2265. Many renovations over the years have given the structure a modern look - and futuristic developments including floating highways surrounding the structure have completely changed the look of the area. The River Thames has changed quite a bit as well - pod-like living structures on the river offer a unique experience of the city.
San Francisco
Our journey now takes us to the United States for the next couple of destinations, beginning with San Francisco in the early 2300s. We'll begin with a look at Alcatraz Island in the far future. Numerous renovations over the centuries have totally revamped the look of this historical landmark, which has sustained damage from multiple earthquakes in the upcoming centuries.
The iconic Golden Gate Bridge in 2310 - with ground traffic steadily decreasing over the centuries, much of the roadway has been converted into a high-tech solar farm.
A look at downtown San Francisco in the far future - now filled with hovercars, elevated tube highways, and futuristic high rises, it's hardly recognizable. Even the familiar Transamerica Pyramid has seem to have gotten a facelift.
One final overview of San Francisco's sprawling futuristic skyline from above, set in 2310.
New York
The next great American city that we'll be looking at in the future is none other than the Big Apple - New York. As the years go by, New York's skyline, suburbs, and boroughs might dramatically change in plenty of ways - such as fully incorporating clean energy sources and transportation systems into the city's network. Here we see a scene from Brooklyn in the upcoming decades, where the traditional network of congested roads and highways has been replaced with a much more green alternative - efficient light rail transit and trams. In addition, rooftop gardens, solar panels, windmills, and carbon emission free buildings breathe new life into the city.
In the future, familiar apartment blocks and housing districts could look dramatically different. Here we see some futuristic cube-like apartments in the heart of central Manhattan.
We now move into Midtown Manhattan - and get our first views from the heart of the Big Apple in the future. Although it's impossible to know exactly how New York will look like in the upcoming centuries - a "green" future by 2200 could result in a scene like the picture below. With lush greenery and gardens overflowing from the top and sides of buildings, net zero carbon emission buildings dotting the city, windmills and solar panels seen all around, and clean public transportation providing an efficient means of transport across the city - the future of the Big Apple could be quite bright.
Another look at New York City's massive skyline in the 2900s - and with monstrous skyscrapers towering over the Empire State Building, an endless maze of tubes and highways snaking around the city, and countless hovercars quickly zooming around - it's quite the sight to see.
Tokyo
We return to Asia for another futuristic look at another one of the world's most important global cities - Toyko. Tokyo is a city that's already known for its advanced, modern architecture - but a number of proposed projects would have completely of changed the city's skyline in the future, as well as life for its citizens. The X-Seed 4000 project gained plenty of recognition in the 1980s for its ambitious proposal, calling for a 13,123 foot tall arcology that would house up to a million people. Although it was never built, a project like this would have been truly breathtaking to see - with a figurative Mt. Fuji directly towering over the city.
Another massive proposed project is the Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid - or better known as TRY 2004. This monolithic arcology would house over 1 million people directly on top of Tokyo Bay and would dramatically change the look of the city's waterfront. Rising 6,575 feet tall, construction for this huge project has stalled many times in recent decades - but it's builders are still determined to break ground and complete the project by 2110.
Rural Japan is often noted as one of the country's most scenic regions, with small, charming villages and mesmerizing rice paddies dotting the landscape - but in the future, this iconic view could change. With increased food demands, ever growing cities and constant advancements in technology - vertical farming structures might be the best solution to keep the country growing.
As the years go by, Tokyo's iconic skyline continues to grow and grow - and by the late 3000s, it might resemble nothing that you've ever seen before. A sea of 3,000 foot tall skyscrapers tower over massive floating highways, domed cities, arcologies, and other advanced structures - with the only familiar buildings in sight being the iconic Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Tower.
Suburbs of the Future
Our trip into the future now takes us into the suburbs - and by 2200, the 'burbs could be looking quite green. This once congested area is now overflowing with greenery - and is once again one of the most desirable places to live in the entire city.
The cities of tomorrow hopefully won't interfere with nature - but rather, be harmonious with it. Here we see a few shots from the outskirts of a futuristic community that was designed with nature in mind - where the locals can truly live alongside the forest.
As we look even ahead, it's possible the suburbs of the future could get a huge facelift. As demonstrated by proposals such as "The Venus Project", circular city plans could fully incorporate parks and gardens and be designed to operate with a minimum expenditure of energy using the cleanest technologies available. These cities would truly be in harmony with nature to obtain the highest possible standard of living for everyone.
Let's hope that the future is a bright one - and that heavily polluting scenes like the one below won't be commonplace in the suburbs and cities of tomorrow.
Future generations one day might come back to visit for a glimpse of the cities they once knew and loved. With little left to show however, they won't be here for long - and their short lived settlements and communities will soon follow a similar fate.
The Far Future
Our trip continues into the future, and we're now venturing into the early 4000s. By then, it's possible that technology will become so advanced that it's possible for humans to live entirely in the clouds - in the form of floating arcologies that slowly drift high above our cities and landscapes.They'll be fitted with an array of heliports and docks to allow easy transport from one arcology to another - or to civilization far below.
Here we see another view of a futuristic arcology of the future, set approximately in the year 4500 - and the views of Earth from above are particularly breathtaking.
We travel even further into the future, and climb even higher into the clouds to get a look at how arcologies could look like in the 5000s. With floating gardens, domed communities, futuristic heliports, and sleek high-rises dotting the clouds, they'll totally redefine our views of cities in the future.
The Solar System
For the last chapter in our trip through time, we'll be exploring what lies beyond Earth - and what could be in store for the human species in the eons to come. As seen in the prior section - drastic measures would need to be taken in the future if society was to ever falls into shambles, so we board our ship and take off - knowing that other planets and moons could hold the key to the future.
Lengthy space travel in the future might become common place in our lives - and massive space ports could become important hubs of trade and transportation.
The Solar System presents a number of unique possibilities for colonizing in the far future - and over the years, there's been futuristic proposals to colonize the Asteroid Belt, the Moon - and even the scorching (and frigid) surface of Mercury.
But it's the Moon that presents the most realistic opportunity for humans in the future - and one day, far in the future - it's rocky, barren surface may be dotted with domed modules and underground communities.
With research and reports over the last couple of decades also detailing the increasing likelihood of lunar water across the Moon's surface - it could figure to play a key role in the future of humanity. Here we see a few small-scale stations extracting water from the lunar soil.
Venus also could serve as another possible destination for humans to colonize in the future - but with temperatures reaching over 880 degrees and carbon dioxide making up 96.5% of the atmosphere, any trip to the planet's surface would be a brutal and incredibly short one. However, there exists an opportunity high above the Venusian clouds.
It's been proposed to suspend blimps high above Venus' clouds - far away from the planet's crushing surface. Temperatures would be much more manageable as well - and the carbon dioxide could be converted into breathable air. Additionally, the planet's high pressure and radiation levels would be kept in check from these heights - perhaps making it one of the best places for humans to colonize in the solar system.
And to conclude - no look at colonizing the Solar System would be complete without a trip to Mars in the future. Over the centuries, the Red Planet has conjured up the imagination of mankind - and outside of just pure curiosity, there's plenty of reasons why it would be a worthwhile destination to settle one day. Better observational research and economic interest in its resources are two reasons why it's been discussed in modern times - but in the future, it could also provide another potential home for humans if the Earth ever became inhospitable.
As we get ready to land, we take in a few of the Red Planet's most incredible from above - like the Solar System's highest mountain, Olympus Mons.
While Mars' above-ground surface could be potentially be settled one day via domed cities and other futuristic advances - one solution to settle on the Red Planet in the near future could be through the use of underground cities. An intricate system of subsurface tunnels, pathways, and ventilation roofs could comfortably support humanity - and even an underground tree habitat as well, which would breathe life and oxygen into this barren landscape.
Massive, above-ground terra domes could also be a common sight on the Martian landscape in the future as another way to support a wide variety of flora and fauna on this harsh planet.
To conclude, we visit an even more advanced colony on Mars in the far future - truly a sight to see from above.
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-korver
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