Cities occupy just 3% of the earth’s land surface, but are home to more than half of the world’s population. They are engines of the global economy, but many are trapped in an operating system that harms the health of people, other species, and the planet.
Today, in 2050, our relationship with our ecosystems has drastically changed. By considering what other species need in order to thrive, we have created a more robust, nature-inclusive ecosystem for all humans, plants, and animals.
Neighborhoods that were once hidden beneath asphalt, including the Central Business Districts, have transformed into living, flourishing environments where nature is highly visible. Healthy habitats support native plants and species, in turn improving resilience, happiness, and public health for everyone.
Our city is full of collaborative, connected communities, supported by our local governments. Community centers act as the beating heart in each neighborhood where people of all ages and backgrounds meet, schools encourage children to connect with their surroundings, and unused office buildings have been retrofitted into inclusive housing. A more accessible public transit system and protected cycling and walking paths opened up car-free streets for everyone to share.
Our cities are no longer massive resource drains fueled by extensive supply chains. Resources are much more local — down to the level of each individual building.
Buildings themselves are made of both biobased and reused materials mined from other construction sites. Solar panels and other newly developed renewable technologies power our cities through local smart grids. We collect rainwater and new infrastructure cleans our used water, so that drinking water is protected; it certainly isn’t used for flushing toilets. Our food is grown through regenerative farming within the city and on its outskirts, staying as local as we can.
We have imagined a new urban future: A future that connects the city to its surroundings and its resources, humans to wilderness and other species, and people to other people within their communities. A future in which we are interconnected.
Buildings themselves are made of both biobased and reused materials mined from other construction sites. Solar panels and other newly developed renewable technologies power our cities through local smart grids. We collect rainwater and new infrastructure cleans our used water, so that drinking water is protected; it certainly isn’t used for flushing toilets. Our food is grown through regenerative farming within the city and on its outskirts, staying as local as we can.
We have imagined a new urban future: A future that connects the city to its surroundings and its resources, humans to wilderness and other species, and people to other people within their communities. A future in which we are interconnected.
