Science fiction has predicted everything from the internet to mobile phones. Could it help us create concrete-free cities of the future?
Science fiction loves its future cities: utopian visions of gleaming steel and glass, as in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927), and grimly exciting dystopian labyrinths as in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982). But SF visionaries have rarely specified the materials from which their visions might actually be made.
The original Futurama, an exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s Fair designed by Norman Bel Geddes, wowed audiences with its towering apartment blocks and sweeping automated freeways (it was sponsored by General Motors). But though the design was mind-boggling, the proposed materials were still concrete and steel. New visions, but old materials.
This week Guardian Cities investigates the shocking impact of concrete on the planet, to learn what we can do to bring about a less grey world.
Related: Past visions of future cities: where are our flying cars and hoverboards?
Continue reading...via Science fiction books | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2TpFrkh
0 comments:
Post a Comment