Urban planners have rethought how children are educated and their relationship to screens and the outdoor environment. While the timespan of 2010 - 2030 marked increasing digitisation in schools and less time spent outdoors, this was gradually recognised as not being the most beneficial for learning and development. A wise city in 2050 prioritises time spent interacting and problem solving in the natural environment, in combination with technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and AI at key moments. Through this approach of implementing technology as a means to connect to and learn in the outdoor environment, children growing up in 2050 feel much more connected to the natural world than average sentiment in 2010 - 2030. Children embody this connection as they grow up and have more influence on the world around them. They naturally want to take care of the planet and other organisms as they feel deeply linked to them.
In the earlier parts of the twenty-first century, human activity led to environmental degradation that still affects all living beings in 2050. Humans are gradually working in tandem with other organisms to balance ecosystems again. Working to undo the damage caused by microplastics, man-made materials which take a long time to break down, and other pollutants will be a long process. Modified algae and mycelium are two of the methods being used to speed up the breakdown of these materials.
The master pattern
In 2050, humans and other beings have shifted how they interact with the Earth to follow a permaculture pattern called the “core model,” which is a “master” pattern found in many elements of the world around us.1 Trees are a perfect example of this, with their photosynthesising leaves connected to a sturdy trunk and anchored in place by the vast root system below the Earth. The tree canopy and roots connect to share resources internally but also support organisms (birds, bacteria etc.) and cycles like the hydrological and carbon cycle. The development of cities now resembles a forest rather than isolated structures. Cities of differing sizes and makeups each have specific roles within the ecosystem. Big cities act as large “mother” trees and help smaller cities. New developments are considered through the lens of how they will impact every being at the time when they are created and far into the future. Instead of just building a space or structure for a specific group of humans, the planning process considers how they can be created to best support a whole array of organisms in the surrounding ecosystem.
Interspecies living
An early signal for including the needs and voices of all species in Southern Sweden in 2050 is the Interspecies Campus project by SUPERFLEX created in close collaboration with KWY.studio. The project reimagines the Roskilde University campus in Denmark as a space for interspecies living. This is done through a series of curved bricks made of sand and clay constructed with humans and nonhumans in mind. The sculptures avoid right angles and straight lines common to human architecture. Instead they feature curved, organic shapes with cracks, holes, and paths for species both above and below water to explore. This can lead to informal and unexpected meetings between species. SUPERFLEX worked with regular users of the campus to explore the area from the perspective of sea creatures. In addition, they collaborated with legal advisor Katarina Hovden to create a Contract for the Interspecies Campus which included the following obligations:
“By entering the Interspecies Campus, the Human commits to interspecies living. They must slow down and listen to All Species. They must learn from All Species. They must live in caring relationships with All Species, as part of an expanded collective.” 2
Designing according to cycles in nature
In the year 2050, wise cities have evolved to support all species’ return to living more in tune with cycles in nature such as lunar cycles, circadian rhythms, and seasonal cycles. Increasing levels of light pollution has led to issues for species with nocturnal behaviours reliant on moonlight or darkness (for example, the dung beetle Scarabaeus zambesianus, which uses the polarisation pattern of moonlight to navigate in a straight line3. For humans, artificial lighting and blue light from screens led to reduced sleep, circadian rhythm disruption, and health issues over time4. As these issues became more prominent amongst humans and nonhumans in urban environments, city planners have prioritised designing city ecosystems to be more in touch with natural cycles.
Wise cities in 2050 have mostly transitioned from fluorescent lighting to tunable LED lighting, or other even more natural lighting solutions. Talieh Ghane, a researcher focused on the interaction between light and health at the California Lighting Technology Center, advocates for changes in how humans relate to light. She advises humans to spend one to two hours in the morning under daylight. Alternatively, she recommends high CCT (correlated colour temperature) light sources with high blue content during the day.
Ghane’s research was the basis for the concept of a “lighting prescription” in 2050 cities: lighting designed for the individual needs and rhythms of each human. Someone sitting at a desk working on a screen for ten hours per day will need different lighting from someone who works night shifts. In 2050, homes have smart lights and lighting solutions which can be easily calibrated for each individual based on personalised apps and sensors.
Social pollinators
Bzz bzz. Like bees who transfer pollen between different flowers, the wise city of 2050 is home to a new breed of “social pollinators,” one of the many concepts and ways of living borrowed from other species. Social pollinators facilitate connections for others and help humans gradually shift towards fully regarding the urban territory as an ecosystem. Pollinators facilitate exchange within certain areas of urban territory or cities and match people with specific skills or interests to their communities. While some technology is integrated into this pollination process, social pollinators largely take on an analog role of “wise elder” in future urban society.
As people move around the globe, these social pollinators help them become connected to their new cultures and geographies faster. Instead of relying on apps, social media, and databases to connect after moving, new citizens can turn to social pollinators who collaborate with local municipalities, governments and other communities and organisations to build connections and create synergies between people and place. Having representatives from different communities and regions take on this “social pollinator” role helps to improve social connections and the ways in which citizens learn and relate to each other.
This narrative is based on a scenario collectively conceived and developed by core group participants in a Collaborative Foresight cycle. The group's voice was captured and creatively expanded by the writer.
