An Image of the Future

Some years ago an interviewer asked me: “What’s one thing the environmental movement is doing badly, and how could it be done better?”

My answer was: “The promotion of fear and end-of-the-world scenarios. I think that we need hopeful images of the future, images that inspire. We need ‘yes statements’ about the future. Instead, we are getting a lot of statements about what we shouldn’t be doing. I think that we need to focus on how great life could be and make that image so compelling and celebratory that others will feel left out if they don’t join in.”

With that response in mind, here is my current image of the future: 

How do I imagine our future metropolitan areas? Cities will be compressed into a series of villages and towns, each with a distinct identity. These cities will combine the best of traditional urban design (old medieval European cities and towns) with modern mass transit and communication technologies. They will have a visible and clear center surrounded by public buildings like a city hall, a library, offices, stores and restaurants, high-density housing, and parks and open spaces scattered within walking distance of all community members.

Tentacles of wilderness celebrating watersheds, riverbanks, ravines, and hills will reach into the heart of the city and clear boundaries will exist outside it, beyond which farms and wild lands will flourish. The architecture, cuisine, and art scene will develop regional styles and celebrate local choices, materials, and sensibilities.

In the future, the differences between cities will be apparent and delightful. The joy of walking and the convenience of alternative transportation modes will displace the daily use of the single-passenger automobile.

In the very center will be a gathering place, a place dedicated to — and created by — the community.

My vision of the future comes from who I am; an artist with a very healthy respect for the human imagination. I think of imagination as the software with which our logical minds work. If something exists outside our imaginational framework, we simply do not perceive it. I am interested in changing our imagination about how we live in communities. 

Do you agree with my principles? If not, why not? If yes, what would you add?