Future Window Sthlm

The Walkable City

Today, cars dominate almost every city in the world. This has been the case for so long that most of us no longer think about their dominance. But the price we pay for the individual’s right to drive around the city is high. More square metres are devoted to roads and car parks than to housing and green spaces.

Removing or severely restricting car traffic in cities opens up a wealth of opportunities for better use of the environment. What would you like to see? More parks and gardens? More social spaces? Or perhaps more places for culture and the arts?

The Rewilded City

Eighty per cent of the world’s population will soon live in cities. Cities that are being built, densified and crowded. At the same time, we are in the midst of an accelerating mass extinction of species. And our cities are ill-equipped for a coming era of warmer, wetter and drier climates. The cost of all this, both economically and to humanity, will be enormous.

We envision a different future – a future where the city is rewilded. A future where we increase the amount of urban green in various ways (soil, walls, roofs) so that we can benefit from nature’s services – such as air purification, water retention, heat regulation and crop pollination. Living in a quieter, calmer and greener city also feels different.

The Symbiotic City

Cities around the world are many things, but one thing they are not is resource efficient. Cities generate around 10 billion tonnes of waste every year, consume up to 75% of all the energy they produce, and almost everything they need is brought in from outside. We have become dependent on a huge influx of finite resources. But with a rapidly changing climate, it is increasingly clear that this cannot continue.

A new kind of urban metabolism is emerging in the symbiotic city, where heat, cold, water and waste are seen as valuable resources. Things that should be used efficiently and reused again and again. The potential is huge. It is about increasing the resilience of our cities while reducing their impact on the climate and nature. The symbiotic city will also create new economic, creative and cultural value as we take care of all the resources that have been wasted and discarded.

A physical framing of the future

The physical windows were designed in collaboration with artist Finn Ahlgren of the duo Godspeed. Inspired by his work with unused and discarded materials, Finn has created a striking framework for the future. Finding beauty in what is considered waste is a powerful metaphor for the alternative urban future presented in the manifestation.