What Will Our Cities Look Like in 2076?

(5 minute read)

fc fImagine walking through New York, London or Singapore in 2076.

The buildings are familiar, although many have changed dramatically. Streets that were once crowded with cars now contain trees, gardens and outdoor restaurants. Traffic moves quietly and efficiently, while robots clean the streets, maintain buildings and deliver goods.

You might notice something else. There are hardly any parking lots.

Cars still exist, but most drive themselves. Rather than leaving a vehicle parked outside your home for twenty-three hours a day, you simply summon one when you need it. It arrives, takes you to your destination and departs to transport someone else.

Now imagine what that could mean for the way we design our cities.

When America celebrates its 300th birthday in 2076, I suspect urban life may look remarkably different from what we're accustomed to today.

And in many ways, it could be considerably better.

We've transformed our cities before

When America declared independence in 1776, New York had a population of roughly 25,000 people. Its streets were filled with pedestrians, horses and carts, while most buildings were only a few stories high.

There were no skyscrapers, electric lights, subway trains or modern sewage systems. Drinking water was often contaminated, waste disposal was primitive, and disease spread easily through crowded neighborhoods.

By the late nineteenth century, rapidly expanding cities had become noisy, polluted and frequently unpleasant places to live.

Then technology began transforming them.

Underground railways allowed cities to expand beyond walking distance. Electric elevators made skyscrapers practical, while modern sanitation dramatically improved public health. Electricity illuminated streets and buildings, and automobiles eventually changed almost everything about urban planning (we will come back to this point in a future newsletter).

Today, cities such as Singapore demonstrate how sophisticated urban infrastructure can become. Having lived there for many years, I've always admired its public transport, extensive greenery and ability to accommodate millions of people within a relatively small area.

But even the most advanced cities still struggle with traffic congestion, expensive housing, pollution and aging infrastructure.

What happens when we apply another fifty years of technological progress?

The end of the traffic jam?

Consider how inefficient our relationship with cars currently is.

Most privately owned vehicles spend the overwhelming majority of their lives parked. Cities devote enormous amounts of valuable land to garages, parking lots and roadside spaces.

Meanwhile, millions of people spend hours sitting in traffic, burning fuel and becoming increasingly frustrated.

Autonomous vehicles could change much of that.

Imagine leaving your apartment and stepping into a driverless vehicle that has already calculated the quickest route to your destination. It communicates with nearby vehicles, traffic signals and the city's transport network, adjusting its speed to keep everything moving smoothly.

Perhaps traffic lights will eventually become unnecessary at certain intersections, with autonomous vehicles coordinating their movements without stopping.

Road accidents could decline dramatically if reliable automated systems eliminate many of the mistakes caused by human drivers.

But the greatest transformation might be what happens to the space we no longer need.

Parking garages could become apartments. Former parking lots might become parks, playgrounds or public squares. Wide roads could be narrowed, allowing pedestrians and cyclists more room.

Imagine how different Manhattan might feel if even a quarter of the space currently devoted to vehicles became available for other purposes.

Of course, autonomous vehicles could also encourage more journeys and create new congestion. Better technology won't automatically mean better urban planning.

But the possibilities are enormous.

Could houses become affordable again?

One of the greatest problems facing modern cities is the cost of housing.

In London, New York, Singapore and many other major cities, ordinary working people struggle to afford homes anywhere near their workplaces.

Yet construction remains surprisingly dependent upon manual labor.

Even with modern machinery, building an apartment block requires enormous numbers of workers, complicated logistics and considerable time.

By 2076, robots may perform much of that work.

Machines could excavate foundations, assemble prefabricated sections, install pipes and electrical systems, and complete many finishing tasks. Artificial intelligence might design buildings that use fewer materials while being more comfortable and energy-efficient.

That could reduce construction costs considerably.

However, cheaper construction doesn't necessarily mean cheaper housing. Land in desirable locations will remain scarce, and planning restrictions could continue limiting development.

Nevertheless, if building becomes faster and less expensive, cities might finally find it easier to provide sufficient homes for their growing populations.

Perhaps modular apartments could even be redesigned as families expand or their circumstances change, rather than requiring people to move.

Buildings that look after themselves

Now imagine the buildings of 2076.

Many might produce electricity through solar panels incorporated into roofs, windows and exterior surfaces. Sophisticated insulation and cooling systems could reduce energy consumption dramatically.

Artificial intelligence would continuously adjust heating, lighting and ventilation to maintain comfortable conditions while minimizing waste.

Robots might inspect plumbing, repair equipment and clean windows without putting human workers in dangerous positions.

Water could be recycled much more extensively, particularly in hot, dry cities where fresh water is increasingly valuable.

And buildings might become considerably greener.

Singapore already provides a fascinating example, with vegetation incorporated into rooftops, terraces and building facades. By 2076, entire neighborhoods could feature gardens suspended above streets, connected by elevated walkways and shaded public spaces.

Trees and vegetation wouldn't simply make cities more attractive. They could help reduce urban temperatures, improve air quality and make outdoor spaces more pleasant.

Perhaps future generations will wonder why we once constructed enormous expanses of concrete without giving much thought to the people who had to live among them.

Will we still need enormous cities?

There's another possibility that I find particularly interesting.

What if technology makes living in a large city much less necessary?

For centuries, people moved into cities because that's where the jobs, universities, hospitals and opportunities were concentrated.

But increasingly, many of those advantages can be delivered remotely.

Artificial intelligence could provide sophisticated education almost anywhere. Telemedicine might allow specialists in major hospitals to examine patients thousands of miles away, while robotic systems could eventually perform certain medical procedures under remote supervision.

A designer in a small town could work for a company in New York. An engineer in rural Scotland might collaborate with colleagues in Japan, while a writer could publish books internationally from a coffee shop in Thailand.

I can personally appreciate the attraction of that last possibility. Last week, my marketing consultant Katie and I had a meeting with Matt, a website designer. The meeting was online and carried out via Zoom. Nothing unusual in that except that Katie was in London, I was in Thailand, and the website designer was in Johannesburg. The meeting was seamless and that's today. What will it be like in 2076?

By then, perhaps millions of people will choose smaller towns and villages because they no longer need to live within commuting distance of a major employment center.

That could reduce pressure on expensive cities while revitalizing communities that have struggled with declining populations.

Alternatively, cities might become even more attractive as technology makes them cleaner, safer and more pleasant places to live.

I suspect we'll see both developments.

The city that never sleeps

One of the more intriguing possibilities is that cities will increasingly maintain themselves.

Today, roads deteriorate, water pipes leak, electricity networks fail and public buildings gradually fall into disrepair.

By 2076, networks of ultra-cheap sensors could continuously monitor infrastructure, identifying problems before they become serious.

A small robotic machine might inspect a water pipe and repair a leak before anybody notices it. Automated equipment could maintain roads overnight, while intelligent electricity networks redistribute power to prevent outages.

Waste collection might become almost invisible, with automated systems transporting rubbish to recycling centers where robots separate valuable materials.

Emergency services could change too.

Drones might deliver medical supplies within minutes of an emergency call, while AI helps robotic ambulances navigate traffic and hospitals prepare for incoming patients. For emergency cases, the patient might be flown to hospital by a two-person passenger drone.

None of these technologies would eliminate the need for skilled workers. But they could allow those workers to accomplish far more.

And perhaps the greatest achievement would be that ordinary people barely noticed any of it happening.

A city built for people

I sometimes wonder what someone arriving from 1776 would think of modern New York.

The skyscrapers, elevators, subway trains and electric lights would probably seem miraculous.

Yet they might also be bewildered by the traffic, noise and extraordinary pace of life.

Now imagine someone arriving from 2026 and visiting that same city fifty years from now.

Perhaps they'd be astonished by how quiet the streets had become, how much greenery surrounded the buildings and how efficiently everything operated.

They might discover that affordable housing was easier to find, public transport was almost effortless and elderly people could live independently for much longer.

Or perhaps some cities will struggle to adapt while others embrace new possibilities. (Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is sinking into the ground under its own weight. The city might be moved to a new location altogether.)

Technology alone won't determine which future we experience. Governments, businesses and ordinary citizens will still make decisions about planning, investment and how public spaces should be used.

But I find the opportunities enormously encouraging.

For thousands of years, people gathered together in cities because living and working close to one another offered advantages that outweighed the disadvantages.

By 2076, perhaps we'll finally have the technology to enjoy those advantages without so many of the inconveniences.

Imagine cities with less pollution, fewer accidents, more greenery, better housing and streets designed primarily for people rather than automobiles.

That seems a future worth looking forward to.

What do you think? Would you prefer to live in a high-tech city in 2076, or would you choose a small town if technology allowed you to enjoy the same opportunities?

Till next time,

Brian

BA Gillies

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