F A T H O M
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Y E A R N
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I N N O V A T E
CITIES OF THE FUTURE -Kshitij Khare
Imagination is the testing ground for most of the human innovation and projection. Humanity has dreamt about the future of society and order since the days of antiquity, and for most of the known history we have envisioned a future more prosperous than one we live or have lived in. While some of these visions may seem to be far fetched, most sprout from one’s understanding of and response to their contemporary social reality. The collective form of these dreams and visions hence have a key role in shaping the future of the society that envisions it, when it comes. This, however is a doubleedged sword. It can work like a positive feedback loop or also a vicious circle such as ones we see in extremely impoverished countries ridden by disease, poverty or/and dictatorial regimes. Instances of radical changes can erupt out of the seemingly blues for the better or for worse but more often than not they result from a rejection to the current social order and its practices. Therefore it is in a society’s self interest to take the self built foresights of its people seriously, nurture the innovative and prosperous ones, and investigate and eliminate the potentially harmful ones.
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Architecture as it is one of the strongest derivatives of the society that builds it, is a key part of these projections as it successfully and very visibly incorporates within its frames, the complexities of social order such as the politics, social hierarchy and economic balance. For the past century, a majority of all the future cities envisioned, may they be a work of animations, cinema or words have had a skyline brimming with skyscrapers with exotic spires. These structures emergent from an established social order and the use of sophisticated engineering technology suggest scientific progress. However they are quite deficient by themselves in painting a complete picture. Scientific progress doesn’t equate or lead to social progress, or social equity by extension. Several future cities envisioned by great minds are the best examples to explain this. Cloud Atlas, a 2004 bestselling novel by David Mitchell envisions a neo Seoul with a similarly impressive skyline with translucent flying roads. This clever act of raising the datum of the city allows the utopian city to conceals its disturbing underbelly. While the parts over this it are of the prosperous and the powerful that VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1/ DECEMBER 2019
