The future of cities

Many challenges bring us to revise the state of our cities. But global warming will be an instrumental factor in how we adopt extra measures to enhance our lifestyles under more extreme conditions. Already, our population shows a trend that more people are moving into cities and that by 2050, we estimate that one-third of the world’s population will live in metropolitan areas.

So, what will a Megapolis look like in the near future?

The vision of tomorrow shows smart cities with a presence up high in the sky among the clouds, down below surface levels in underground facilities, or in suitable underwater locations, and in space within our galaxy.

Overall, our efforts to protect the land will be well underway to maintain our planet in a healthy state. Indeed this will have become a priority for our planet and its inhabitants.

Our current way of life will be obsolete by then. We will have tied ourselves to technology, and this factor will change the way we go about thinking of family units, friends, and work. Will, some of us, miss it or by then, will we have already adapted to a new way of life? In the decades ahead, the choices we make may influence what we face in the not too distant future.

Our evolution will shift the way we go about our lives. We will see more people moving around the globe as they enjoy their lives on the go and walk away from established roots. It will create new boundaries within states and countries. We will observe these phenomena all around the planet and even beyond it.

Sustainability Becomes A Must In Every Aspect

We already know about the importance of sustainability, and we will see considerable efforts to implement everything more effectively to reach new levels in preserving our resources.

With huge skyscrapers reaching new heights toward the clouds, Dome cities will become the norm, like in NEWDAWN. The city of the future will tower over everything, as sky pathways, air ramps, and Elevats cast shadows as they bridge together the various grids. These environments, enclosed to minimize increased temperature patterns and protect from violent storms, will provide better climate-control landscapes to preserve nature. Skyways and ramps will connect these buildings at different levels, encouraging movement between one area and another since more and more of our work and leisure activities will find us in front of our computer screens. Our A.I. will likely monitor everything, more than likely with implant devices, encouraging us to experience more healthy lifestyles to maintain our physiology at peak performance. Indeed, virtual reality may become an addiction and will be the thing by then when it comes to fun times for all of us.

A Technology-Driven Infrastructure

A.I. technology and robotics will oversee our infrastructure like DAINN in NEWDAWN Saga with City Vigil surveilling our streets. Robots will maintain passageways, keeping our bridges clean and our stairways spotless supporting our societies. Self-healing concrete pathways will keep structural integrity. Within the domes, the air-turbine will maintain the air condition, with the domes’ opening when weather permits. An extensive tubular rainfall system will capture water, allowing us to maintain city life. Plantlife based on hydroponics and living membrane will provide the transformation of carbon dioxide into oxygen. Our cities will be green, and we will grow crops within buildings, including genetically modified products. I do not particularly like this aspect of genetically modified products or the world for that matter. What will it do to us in the long term? But, we are evolving into a new human species. However, our tech will maintain production in a controlled environment so that it is disease and pest-free. Studies have even shown that hydroponics can produce crop yields 500% greater than the typical conventional model.

Due to these changes, local products, from cereals to vegetables and fruits, including tropical fruits, no longer impact our environment with long transportation and distribution requirements. This approach will end up saving us enormous energy.

Space Expansion

New smart cities will provide us models with a climate control environment, food supply, and resources to build cities in space or on the planets’ surface within our galaxy, like in NEWDAWN. Indeed, there is now an infatuation for the galactic frontier as we watch Elon Musk, Richard Bronson, and Jeff Besos as they all move to face the challenges of the unforgiving void. It’s almost as if they have read NEWDAWN!

I wonder why now? Is it because they see this as a new landscape filled with challenges, or is it something much more significant that drives them to explore new worlds? Do they want to venture into the depths of our galaxy out of inquisitive curiosity, or do they believe we will need space exploitation to survive? One cannot escape the conjecture that our future on Earth, looking at science, remains gloomy at best, especially if we consider the full impact of global warming. But, I will not give up on us, our ingenuity, and our ability to overcome odds that do not speak well in our favor.

Pushing Boundaries

Still, there are other directions we can take with the construction of our future cities. Downward is not unlikely. For instance, digging inground to create underground facilities, bringing us many stories below the surface, is also a definite possibility. Already some cities plan for that today.

Singapore is one of them, with an expansion underground for the city of science, which will house 4,500 people. They have planned all accommodations with a complete green city infrastructure that will include retail space, parks, trains, and entire transportation infrastructure. Much more will define a self-sufficient, independent infrastructure, including air-conditioning pipeline, a cylindrical design structured, hydroponics, and artificial lights. The construction is said to handle earthquakes. The goal to save space and ultimately power, using the sun to warm rocks and expanding the energy retrieved in summer in the winter, still demands resources and planning beyond what we can do today on a larger scale.

Underwater Confines

While Earth’s surface is mainly covered by ocean, about 70% water, expanding our cities over the sea or even under the ocean is another thing to consider. Artificial floating islands already exist in Dubai and Japan, so why not conceive of entire cities next?

We can imagine people working in underwater cities by 2075, expanding the tourism industry for the adventurous spirits who want to experience other things, like a memorable holiday exploring sea flora. Hotels underwater or in space will lead the way to more, creating an entire infrastructure where stores, restaurants, and hotels multiply.

While supplies delivered via new submarines will be likely, most of the city will be self-reliant, developing its own resources. Electric thermal energy, resistant glass, and hydroponics will be conducive to extraordinary new experiences for the willing consumer.

We explored the hyperloop transportation system in my previous article, and I can envision the travel to and from the surface take place in underwater pods at super-fast speed. One has already been tested in Nevada using speeds up to 700 miles per hour, so why not push the boundaries even further under the sea?

But, let’s not forget virtual reality giving us an edge from our living room couch. Although the tech will be far superior to what we know today, offering both visual and sensory experience, it may still not quite be the same thing for those hard-core adventurers. I look forward to both. What about you?

Science fiction and science facts are not an idle saying. NEWDAWN is more than a book; it is a whole new universe. Visit the NEWDAWN Experience at www.windommedia.net/newdawnsystem or buy NEWDAWN Roamers at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084S22LM2.

Dr. Dominique Luchart

Author & Futurist

Dominique Luchart, author of the Newdawn Saga... An enthralling series of SciFi novels for YA. https://windommedia.com/author-and-futurist/