Listen back to this 2019 Talk with Jeni Paay, Flavia Marcello, and Dan Golding.
Architects and planners don’t just plan for the present—they imagine the future. In past times of crisis and upheaval, architects have thought beyond the realm of the possible, creating new visions of the future that reimagine how people can once again live harmoniously in cities. We are currently facing new times of disharmony and uncertainty but the crisis is not world war it is global warming.
Post-war designs for the future hoped to shape society in new and radical ways, including: Bruno Taut’s City Crown, 1919, Le Corbusier’s Radiant City, 1920, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City, 1958 and Archigram’s Plug-in city, 1964. How many of these utopian visions eventuated? Did they influence the design of the cities we live in today? Can we connect how we live today to these imaginings of harmonious and idyllic living?
In looking at past examples of future thinking, we see the importance of designers thinking beyond the boundaries of what is possible when designing for the future. The impossible becomes possible only when thinking beyond the realm of the possible.
How will today’s architects respond to current uncertainty? Adaptable and sustainable architectural design, like that of Glenn Murcutt, is one way to shape the future of the built environment. What else can we do?
This event is presented by Smart Cities Research Institute at the Swinburne University of Technology.
This event is supported by RACV.
