The Art of Imagining Urban Futures

The Ecotopia 2121 project employs numerous techniques to study the urban future; for example extrapolations from historical patterns or the anticipated role of new technologies. Another technique it employs is the “Literary Method of Urban Design” which uses literary works to predict likely urban scenarios of the future. At its simplest, this method comprises three steps: select a work of literature, select a city, use the themes of the selected work of literature to design

This project details the futures of 1000s of super-ecofriendly cities across the globe as though they've overcome all social problems as well as the climate crisis. This week, we showcase the urban future of Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.