The song by John Lennon “Imagine” visualizes a future in a Utopian society where there is no hunger, no strife and everyone just gets along.
Looking back around thirty years ago, when WPM was founded, more or less when South Africa had it’s first democratic elections and also when the first cellphones arrived in SA, who would’ve ever envisioned that we would be using our cellphones to pay our bills, to order food and book (or long) trips around town by using an application?
At this very moment, there are huge office blocks in several cities being converted to residential areas in order to accommodate the increased number of people flocking to the cities from rural areas.
City and town planners now have to change the lay-out of neighbourhoods and central business districts as residents rather opt for areas where they can work, live and play.
Shopping Centres and Community Schemes now have paddle courts and running pathways for example.
Cities of the future will be designed with 4 key features in mind:
• Sustainability by focusing on renewable energy sources and sustainable practices. Plastic waste may be converted to fuel as an example.
• Social equity where inclusive spaces will be created to cater for diverse populations. Community Scheme developers are already doing so by catering for low-income and wealthier families.
• Technological integration that will improve transportation efficiency and living conditions. The Gautrain running between Johannesburg and Pretoria has made a huge difference to people commuting between these two major cities.
• Adaptability as cities of the future will need to be adaptable to changing demographics and environmental changes like natural disasters. We have all seen footage of bridges being washed away, infrastructure being damaged by natural disasters and planning to circumvent these challenges will be crucial.
There are more than 10 major futuristic cities being planned in the USA, India, Egypt, Malasia, Canada, Mexico and even the Maldives!
In Saudi Arabia, the development and construction of THE LINE, a 170 kilometer long, 500-meter-high building, which may house up to 1.5 million, is already underway with residents taking occupation as early as 2030 and completion of the entire project by 2045! There will be no cars and no streets and all amenities will be accessible within a 5-minute walk.
The future may appear extremely daunting but looking back over the changes over the span of a single generation, the dream of peace, without any greed or hunger by living sustainably, may just be a possibility.
