The world is changing. Extremes are the order of the day. It is either too wet or too dry, too hot or too cold, raw materials and energy are scarce and we lose dozens of kilometres of valuable nature every day. We want everything to be better, nicer and faster, but we are increasingly realising that our world is not easily engineered. We cannot fight extremes. We must embrace them. This means going back to the basics, to our origin. Being self-sufficient is closer than ever. Or has it just returned?
We are on the eve of a new era. A time that makes it possible to do things differently, where we really interact differently with energy, space, materials, systems and each other. A time where the healthy city of the future gets a new, local meaning. Is our living environment still in line with today’s challenges? Think of our changing view of mobility, for example, our need to grow our own food, and our ambition to store water at a rising number of locations. We want to develop sustainable energy and reduce emissions. But we are also looking differently at our well-being. We want to have authentic contact with each other in the form of a close-knit community. We need contact and connection, where we look after each other.
What groundbreaking application are you designing to realise a self-sufficient city in five years? Your application will make a valuable contribution in the field of energy, food or water that will optimize health, biodiversity and social bonding for residents.
InWhat if Lab: Totally Local, Sweco wants to explore what the world would be like if cities could provide for themselves. Sign up before 7 June! Klik hier voor de Engelse briefing.
