London in the Future -- 100 years from now...
- Urban Futures team
- Jan 1, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 9, 2024
The Ecotopia 2121 project predicts the future of 100 super-ecofriendly cities across the globe as though they have overcome all major ecological challenges and economic problems and gone on to flourish anew. Here's our vision of the future of London...
FUTURE LONDON:
WHERE DO THE CHILDREN PLAY?
At the height of the hippie movement in London, during one of the city’s economic boom times, London singer-songwriter Cat Stevens wrote the song “Where Do the Children Play?” in which he reflected on the idea of progress, including in his hometown. In the song, the narrator laments the hubris of modern development, especially in the form of skyscrapers, at the expense of the simpler things in life, such as places for children to grow and play.
Many years later, the United Nations set out to describe the features of what they believed would make a 'child-friendly city', which would allow kids to safely partake in typical 'kid activities', like:
(1) meet friends and play,
(2) walk safely in the streets on their own,
(3) enjoy green spaces with plants and animals, and as well:
(4) enjoy equal citizenship within their city.
With these ideals in mind, here's our idea for a fresh green playful London of the future...
The Car-free Roads of Future London
The Meadow Gardens of Future London
The Wonderful Wetlands of Future London
The Growing Gardens in the Tower of London, 22nd Century
The Museum of London featured this future London scenario in its London Visions exhibition (held from January to April in 2018).
The scenario was also a part of the 2021 London Design Biennale held at Somerset House, London. It was also part of a special exhibition on 'Utopian Desire' (open from April 2023 to January 2024) at the Bauhaus Museum.
It also featured as part of the Transforming Literary Places exhibition at the University of Tartu Art Museum as Tartu celebrates its 2024 status as European Capital of Culture.
For a preview of some of the other 100 "case study" cities of the project, check out the Atlas of Ecotopia 2121.
