Municipalities and regions gradually introduced a new approach: combining low tech with high tech.1 Data and technology were seen as an option as citizens returned to alternative ways of knowing, such as paying attention to intuition and signals provided by nature.
AI is something humans grapple with and which continues to redefine our relationship to cities in 2050. Leading up to the half-century mark, AI has increasingly become a collaborator and is included as an additional voice in urban planning processes, with humans still making final decisions according to their values and priorities.2 However, a tension has developed between human and AI collaborators’ values and viewpoints. In the same way that humans control populations of species in certain areas, AI has made recommendations that may objectively be good for the planet, but would, in certain instances, decrease quality of life for some humans.3 This remains an ongoing negotiation. Citizens in 2050 are still choosing to make decisions that benefit them while taking recommendations from AI into account.
Is a “perfect” society our utopia?
While moving towards optimising “good” factors in our lives and spaces (like productivity, efficiency and health via sensors and data collection) have dominated urban planning up to this point, citizens felt that the rigidity around systems and regulations designed to “optimise” urban life have become too much, and began protesting against it. This led to a resurgence of underground movements, nightlife, and different ways of thinking and operating in urban spaces. Ultimately, a variety of ways of existing are conducive to vibrant cities and contrasts can make life more interesting. In 2050, opinions on this are split, with some focusing on performing behaviours that are “good” for society and others preferring to be more rebellious and individualised.
Ethics of increased datafication
Perhaps one of the most extreme examples of a new city with AI and data deeply embedded into its planning is The Line project in Saudi Arabia’s desert. The Line is a 170 km long smart city designed by US studio Morphosis. It will house up to 9 million people and consist of a singular long building which is 500 metres tall and 200 metres wide. The city is currently under construction, with the first phase set to be completed in 2030. AI will monitor the city and its residents. Predictive models and big data will be implemented to “improve” daily life for inhabitants— how improvement is defined fully within this context will only become more evident upon completion of the project. Residents will likely be paid for submitting data. This concept has been termed a “cognitive city” with the aim of putting the needs of humans and the environment first. AI will manage power, water, waste, health care, transport, and security. Zooming out a bit, The Line will be a form of surveillance city and raises questions about data collection consent and longer term effects of loss of privacy. In the context of another smart city, Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates, which is struggling to find inhabitants, it is likely that The Line will offer large incentives for people to move there. It remains to be seen whether the promised benefits will outweigh the costs of existing within such a highly controlled system.
Data is not the be-all and end-all
The lens of smart cities may lead us to look for digital solutions, rather than considering the full range of low tech and high tech options. Often, cities collecting a lot of data receive funding and visibility, while small cities investing in low-tech options—that might be operating very sustainably and providing a high quality of life—may not be recognised or looked to as a model case study.4
Shoshanna Saxe, a Professor of Engineering at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities pointed out the nuances of the fallacy that innovation depends on data:
“When people say innovation in cities, they generally mean an invention… something technological and usually the model of something app or Silicon Valley based… This is false and destructive. There are many, many innovative ideas that are not about apps, gadgets, or Silicon Valley.”5
A wise city of 2050 includes analog innovations as well as those involving technology, like the Forest Library in Korea’s Samcheong Park, designed by Leeon Architects (Lee Sojin). The building has big windows to allow visitors to feel connected to the surrounding forest whilst browsing books and enjoying drinks and snacks. Residents have praised the forest library for being a healing sanctuary of analog calm—the perfect antidote to the fast-paced, digitalised city of Seoul surrounding it.
"The images and stories we create about unbuilt architecture and spaces become built and ultimately influence whole environments.”
– Rayan Elnayal, Co-founder of Space Black.
Wise cities recognise that it’s not only digital and “futuristic” solutions that will build better futures. Instead, they draw on all of the knowledge, experience, and tools at humanity’s disposal. They interweave approaches that have been used for centuries with newer innovations and emerging technologies, turning human stories into realities.
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.
