Future Cities: Architecture and the Imagination

Cities face numerous threats, including climate change, overpopulation, social division, and urban warfare. The imagination is a crucial tool for understanding these uncertain city futures, as architects, artists, filmmakers, and fiction writers imagine cities of the future. Future Cities explores the links between speculation and reality, arguing that there is no clear separation between the two. It showcases a range of imagined cities, from submerged to floating, flying, vertical, underground, ruined, and salvaged, and proposes a future for humanity that is firmly grounded in the present and the diverse creative practices already at our fingertips.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 272 pages
\n Publication date: 11 February 2019
\n Publisher: Reaktion Books
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Cities, once reaching towards the skies, now face numerous threats that overshadow their existence. Climate change, overpopulation, social division, and urban warfare pose significant risks to our urban way of life. While architects, artists, filmmakers, and fiction writers have long envisioned cities of the future, their speculative visions often differ from scientific predictions. In a digital age where the line between reality and fantasy blurs, it is crucial to understand the intricate relationship between these two forces and how they can shape our conception of future cities.

Future Cities, a captivating exploration, delves into a breathtaking array of imagined cities. These cities range from submerged to floating, flying to vertical, underground to ruined, and even salvaged. By teasing out the connections between speculation and reality, the book argues that there is no clear distinction between the two.

In the Netherlands, prototype floating cities are already being built, showcasing the merging of imagination and practicality. Dubai's recent skyscrapers bear resemblance to science-fiction cities of the past, while makeshift settlements constructed by the urban poor in developing countries evoke dystopian cyberpunk cities.

Paul Dobraszczyk, the author, brings together architecture, fiction, film, and visual art to reconnect the imaginary city with the real. He proposes a future for humanity that is firmly grounded in the present and the diverse creative practices already at our fingertips. Through his visionary approach, Dobraszczyk offers a glimpse into a world where cities are not only resilient but also sustainable, inclusive, and vibrant.

In conclusion, the threats facing cities today demand a renewed focus on imagination and creativity. By exploring the possibilities of imagined cities, we can gain insights into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Future Cities serves as a catalyst for reimagining our urban landscapes and shaping a future that is both prosperous and sustainable.

\n Weight: 644g\n
Dimension: 211 x 159 x 22 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781789140644\n \n