By 2050, it is estimated that 70% of the world's population will live in cities. But as society and technology change, so will the urban landscape—and our metropolitan future will be quite different from current cities, according to Fast Company and a panel of design experts.
Across the cultural grid, from food to retail to transportation, America's urban areas are already undergoing a major metamorphosis. Here are the six major trends shaping our cities, from Fast Company:
1. The "sharing economy" will apply to housing, too. The line between public and private spaces will continue to blur as people move into a wider range of spaces with shared kitchens and living rooms, while renting or owning their own bedrooms and bathrooms.
2. Restaurants will double as living rooms. City populations are only getting more densely packed, meaning that living space is at a premium. As homes shrink, restaurants will become not just a place to eat, but needed space for socializing.
3. Your office will look like a library. Every day, it grows easier to work from home. As a result, employees have begun to expect workspaces more comfortable, socially-oriented spaces when they do go into the office, and this is changing how offices are designed.
4. The big-box store will be on the block, but you won't need to go. Big-box retailers such as Walmart and Target are moving into the city, but shopping is slowly booming more automated—so you may simply be able to bring the store home with you.
5. Your health will become a retail product. More healthcare facilities are mimicking retail locations in their style, and health is becoming a consideration for all types of design and building projects.
6. Infrastructure and transportation. Technology will quicken the pace of infrastructure and transportation innovation, making intercity travel faster and safer.
Read the full article at Fast Company.
Related Stories
| Mar 29, 2011
Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura wins Pritzker Architecture Prize
Portugese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, whose precisely-honed buildings reflect the influence of the late Chicago modernist Mies van der Rohe, is the 2011 winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the field's highest honor.
| Mar 25, 2011
Qatar World Cup may feature carbon-fiber ‘clouds’
Engineers at Qatar University’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering are busy developing what they believe could act as artificial “clouds,” man-made saucer-type structures suspended over a given soccer stadium, working to shield tens of thousands of spectators from suffocating summer temperatures that regularly top 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
| Mar 23, 2011
AIA adds 13 new contract documents to Documents-on-Demand service
Web-based solution adds 13 popular Architect’s Scope of Services Documents to AIA Documents-on-Demand, providing easy access to documents anytime, anywhere.
| Mar 23, 2011
After 60 years of student lobbying, new activity center opens at University of Texas
The new Student Activity Center at the University of Texas campus, Austin, is the result of almost 60 years of students lobbying for another dedicated social and cultural center on campus. The 149,000-sf facility is designed to serve as the "campus living room," and should earn a LEED Gold certification, a first for the campus.
| Mar 23, 2011
Architecture Billings Index shows nominal increase
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the February Architecture Billings Index score was 50.6, up slightly from a reading of 50.0 the previous month. This score reflects a modest increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 56.4, compared to a mark of 56.5 in December.
| Mar 22, 2011
The American National Standards Institute accredits Stantec for greenhouse gas verification
Stantec Consulting Ltd.’s Atmospheric Environment Group has been awarded accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for verification of assertions related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Scope of Accreditation is for verification of emissions and removals at the organizational level for Group 1 – General.
| Mar 22, 2011
Mayor Bloomberg unveils plans for New York City’s largest new affordable housing complex since the ’70s
Plans for Hunter’s Point South, the largest new affordable housing complex to be built in New York City since the 1970s, include new residences for 5,000 families, with more than 900 in this first phase. A development team consisting of Phipps Houses, Related Companies, and Monadnock Construction has been selected to build the residential portion of the first phase of the Queens waterfront complex, which includes two mixed-use buildings comprising more than 900 housing units and roughly 20,000 square feet of new retail space.
| Mar 21, 2011
RATIO Architects announces merger with Cherry Huffman Architects
RATIO Architects, Inc. with studios in Indianapolis and Champaign, Ill., recently announced it has merged with prominent Raleigh, N.C., firm Cherry Huffman Architects.
| Mar 18, 2011
Universities will compete to build a campus on New York City land
New York City announced that it had received 18 expressions of interest in establishing a research center from universities and corporations around the world. Struggling to compete with Silicon Valley, Boston, and other high-tech hubs, officials charged with developing the city’s economy have identified several city-owned sites that might serve as a home for the research center for applied science and engineering that they hope to establish.
