Throughout history, the city has caused us to search for a new space and discuss how ideal physical space and urban plan should be with the changes and developments. Thomas More‘s Utopia, which focused on designing the Ideal physical space, has a pioneer in society’s search for meaning in the physical space. This situation also causes society’s desire to reach good living opportunities. Thus each community has played an active role in the planning of a utopian city plan.
In pre-modern, it is clear that the physical environment is dominant in a utopian city plan. But, with industrialization, this situation has left its place to the Utopian city plan active in both the physical environment and social life developments. Thus, the Utopian city plan has constantly changed with social, economic, environmental problems, and scientific developments. By industrialization, the utopia city plan has been affected by urban issues, increasing environmental issues, wars, and natural disasters. For this reason, the utopia city plan designed today necessitates an environmentally friendly city plan with the scientific and technological developments of the future.
In this context, the Ecotopia 2121 project has produced an analysis sheet that reflects the knowledge of the 22nd century. This project, which includes the plans of 100 different cities selected from all over the world and aims to create a vision for environmentally friendly cities of the future, explores the issues of known cities such as London, New York, and Paris. Therewithal this project also investigates the city you have not heard like Timbuktu, Xanadu, and Shangri La.
Here are the ten examples of The Ecotopia 2121 project that predicts the future of 100 cities worldwide.
1. China: Super-Eco Mega City | Ecotopia
For many decades, the central government in China has attempted to control the urban population. Because this situation is associated with many issues in society, for example, land and water scarcity, overcrowding, air and water pollution, etc. Therefore, urban planners in China think that the utopia city plan should focus on a human-density city plan which contains a compact city plan and sustainable advanced transportation technology.
2. Abu Dhabi: Green Utopia
Abu Dhabi known as a car-dependent city presents a new socio-architectural environment that includes one or two-story residents that occurred by walking path to break adverse effects of cars on society.
3. London: Super-Green Future
Urban planners in London imagine green-based plans that are named super green eco-village. Therefore, these plans involve a reconstruction of the outer walls of the Tower of London.
4. Greenville: The Sunflower Home
Greenville is home to the rarest and most endangered sunflower in the world. Therefore, the utopia city plan includes an easy, cheap, and self-sufficient system called the sunflower home. Therewithal, the sunflower home is paneled with a solar array to provide for all energy needs, and water is collected from the Roof and channeled to holding tanks in the walls.
5. Accra: Rising Above The Flood | Ecotopia
Accra, which is the capital of Ghana, is gradually exposed to the adverse effects of floods. Because people, who live in Accra, settled on a flood line. Low-cost pre-fab tree cabins to be built owing to this situation.
6. Mumbai: Itopia in the 22nd century
Mumbai, is the largest city in India, is a city of contrasts with its stunning towers and slums. The utopia city plan in Mumbai shows that quickly developing cities of the future that to be built based on information technology. Therefore, the project is named Itopia that includes Smart Systems.
7. Tokyo: Utopia of the Isolated Nuclear Family
In 2011, the Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan led to a project involving the construction of radiation-proof houses. These houses, which produce freshwater, recycle waste, and allow growing food crops, are also temporary emergency shelters.
8. Madrid: Sustaniable Future | Ecotopia
The utopia city plan in Madrid originates from overdevelopment which Madrid becomes a metropolitan city. Therefore, urban planners in Madrid find two solutions.
- 1. Defining limit the use of concrete.
- 2. Devolving more political power to other cities in these regions.
9. Panama City: Forest City of the Future
The utopia city plan in Panama City has adopted the theme of escape to nature as a principle. This situation, which is also very common in architecture, causes Panama City to construct its new ecosystem through forests. The utopia city plan expects to find a solution to the air and water pollution problem in Panama City.
10. Palo Alto: City of the Posthuman Cyber-Zombies | Ecotopia
The city utopia plan in Palo Alto, located in Silicon Valley, is full of mass-produced avatars in streets. Avatars that transforming thoughts and experiences into digital form are bio-machines that can live forever.
Conclusion
In conclusion, These are ten scenarios of the 100 projects designed within the Ecotopia 2121 project. Every project is given above shows that we have hopes and expectations that the issues in the world today can be solved in the future. Therefore, we must continue to produce alternative utopia scenarios.
Reference List
- Books
Marshall, A. (2016). Ecotopia 2121 : a vision for our future green utopia-in 100 cities. New York: Arcade Publishing
- Online sources
Marshall, A. (2016). The Ecotopia 2121 Project – super-ecofriendly cities of the future. [online] eecotopia2121. Available at: https://www.ecotopia2121.com/ [Accessed 21 Jul. 2021].
- Images
Marshall, A. (2016). The general view of Shanghai in 2121. Ecotopia 2121. Available at: https://www.ecotopia2121.com/single-post/china-s-super-eco-megacity [Accessed 21 Jul. 2021].
Marshall, A. (2016). The general view of Abu Dhabi in 2121. Ecotopia 2121. Available at: https://www.ecotopia2121.com/single-post/2017/05/02/abu-dhabi-a-burgeoning-utopia [Accessed 21 Jul. 2021].
Marshall, A. (2016). The general view of London in 2121. Ecotopia 2121. Available at: https://www.ecotopia2121.com/single-post/2017/11/18/london-in-2121ad-a-future-green-utopia [Accessed 21 Jul. 2021].
Marshall, A. (2016). The general view of Greenville in 2121. Ecotopia 2121. Available at: https://www.ecotopia2121.com/single-post/2016/11/13/home-of-the-sunflowers [Accessed 21 Jul. 2021].
Marshall, A. (2016). The general view of Accra in 2121. Ecotopia 2121. Available at: https://www.ecotopia2121.com/single-post/2017/06/02/accra-2121-rising-above-the-flood [Accessed 21 Jul. 2021].
Marshall, A. (2016). The general view of Mumbai in 2121. Ecotopia 2121. Available at: https://www.ecotopia2121.com/single-post/2020/02/10/itopia-mumbai-in-the-21st-century [Accessed 21 Jul. 2021].
Marshall, A. (2016). The general view of Tokyo in 2121. Ecotopia 2121. Available at: https://www.ecotopia2121.com/single-post/2020/04/14/The-Utopia-of-the-Isolated-Nuclear-Family [Accessed 21 Jul. 2021].
Marshall, A. (2016). The general view of Madrid in 2121. Ecotopia 2121. Available at: https://www.ecotopia2121.com/single-post/2019/08/14/madrid-2121-forward-to-future-sustainability [Accessed 21 Jul. 2021].
Marshall, A. (2016). The general view of Panama City in 2121. Ecotopia 2121. Available at: https://www.ecotopia2121.com/single-post/2018/02/12/panama-city-2121-forest-city-of-the-future [Accessed 21 Jul. 2021].
Marshall, A. (2016). The general view of Palo Alto in 2121. Ecotopia 2121. Available at: https://www.ecotopia2121.com/single-post/2016/06/03/cyberavatars-for-the-rich [Accessed 21 Jul. 2021].
