By John Dahlsen
The future of the city is essentially that of cooperation, not competition. We will see communities forging together to create a balanced lifestyle. This is already beginning to happen in some of the more advanced cities, where people are beginning farm and to share in their freshly grown produce, whether it be vegetables or fresh-baked bread and eggs. We don’t need to revert to becoming cavemen again. We do need to safeguard our future by planning to become more natural in every way. This will be the future of our cities, where all of our freshwater is captured from the buildings and our electricity will be generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind.
All forms of visual and airborne pollution will be outlawed so that once again we will be able to visit and walk amongst our cities and enjoy the streetscapes with beautiful gardens and terraces complemented by contemporary architecture and design. The future cities across our planet will only exist because they stand for the new way. All cities which lag behind this approach will simply disintegrate and will cease to be able to operate as habitable environments for humans to live. It is a natural evolution that cities will develop this way, as it has always been the survival of the fittest. It will be natural for the very best that we are able to offer in terms of a city will be the very type of city that will last.
John Dahlsen is an Australian installation artist working in environmental art who was featured Beijing’s Hanmo Gallery in China in September 2010.
Image via Flickr, user MaestroBen