The RUDC completed an excellent two day Symposium cum Tours on the topic "Cities in Transition. - Designing for a World in Flux" last week in DC.
The two part article about the city after office I had prepared prior to the symposium. Part 1 was already posted here. I updated the below Part 2 with some of the fresh insights and quotes from the symposium. Thanks to all that made the Symposium possible!
In the first part of this article we described the current symbiotic relation of downtown and the office and how high vacancies are hampering downtown. In this part we will show the opportunities for a flourishing city beyond the office."
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"Who gets to tell their story? Access, Power & Point of View"
Marcel Acosta, National Capital Planning Commission |
"Tomorrow is temporary " Gia Biagi, former Chicago DOT Director
What are the Mega Trends?
How does the declining attraction of the office cubicle fit into the context of other trends? Futurist Florence Gaub wrote a future report for the European Union and followed a method of "Mega -Trends" and "Catalysts" that I will loosely apply here. Let's find out what trends could provide the seed for a potential success story for the next generation of cities.
Here, in nor particular oder, are some mega trends that will shape the city in the coming decades:
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Downtown living in skinny towers (NYC)
Photo: Philipsen |
Urbanization and population growth fueled by immigration will continue, but on a slower pace
- An aging population will resulting in a reduction of available skilled labor force
- The exploding cost of health care will force healthier mental and physical lifestyles
- Inequities have reached a tipping point from whereon they won't be accepted any longer and the cost and scarcity of housing is one of the reasons
- AI, robots and quantum computers will end much of the work for money as we know it.
- Technology will revolutionize transportation including self driving vehicles
- Climate change will accelerate and force cities to be way more efficient, sustainable and resilient
- Housing cost out-strips income
- Shopping from home will continue to increase
Catalysts that could fuel a lively city
If you know where you are going it's not interesting to do it. (Frank Gerry, architect in a conversation with Paul Goldberger, architectural critic)
Embedded in these potentially threatening trends are opportunities and catalysts that can fuel the future city:
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Every problem is an opportunity (from a
DC planners presentation at an AIA
Symposium |
- Continued population growth and an influx of younger immigrants will continue to make cities and towns a necessity, simply because it is the most efficient way to organize large amounts of people, is a tested organizational form...
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
Archplan Inc. Philipsen Architects