Transformation is an inevitable and necessary process that happens all the time. Over the years, technology has grown leaps and bounds. With the LAPD using the automatic scanning for license plates and the PALANTIR for their data analytics, we can see how technology has made information transaction so convenient and efficient. While talking about the pop-up cities, the speaker said, “Masses follow the brains”. I believe that this statement was extremely strong because we always fall in the trap of thinking that well developed places have the best of everything but that is not completely true. Since technology is ever evolving, study is continuous too and towns like Songdo and Fujisawa are updating their lifestyle with it; pop-up cities presenting a better standard of living. It is interesting to notice how these new advancements create new network, new processes and use less energy without completely starting over. Good designs take into consideration functionality, efficiency and sustainability. It was impressive to see how buildings like Burj Khalifa have been integrated with smart design. Not only does it have brilliant chemical systems, advanced windows and skin on the building but it also re-uses power and uses the water condensed on the outer skin. All of this while keeping the aesthetic in the mind as well. It is essential that the new advancements tie hand in hand with the old rituals and routine to have the most effective globalization.
For any city to run at its best, it must be socially, economically, environmentally sustainable. As heard that it is almost impossible to have 0% emissions, but that target could always encourage a city to be better and as close to the 0 as possible. Scarce resources will not suffice everyone in the future and hence centers like the Seattle’s Bullitt Center need to be created. It is the greenest commercial building and been the very first of its kind. Obviously, it wasn’t the most affordable installation but first of anything is costly. In addition, the workers are more productive, and the building has no harmful impacts so over the long term, can the monetary cost even be weighed against the positive externalities? As things get developed, challenges get bigger and there will always be an opportunity cost present. Switching over to renewable sources can solve a lot of problems and is simply an investment for the sustainable future. Small and intelligent urban furniture like the Park bench or the Smart trash bins (not only does it crush its own trash but also reduces transportation cost significantly) can be the bright future and the guiding steps to an eco-friendlier world.
There are however pros and cons to everything. One of the most highlighted problem could be the invasion of such advancements in our private lives. The example of real time camera feed just seemed a little scary, something like the show Big Brother. It is important that the government knows and handles the population to keep track of what is happening in the nation but having the information of every step that a person takes can be a little too much. It is necessary that limits, and boundaries are set for the public’s privacy because misusing data has become a big issue these days. However, with all that said, such census data could help businesses and urban planners a lot if given within set parameters. It is the designing that counts and makes a space suited for its use.
