Transforming Cities

By Drew Baldwin

Studies have shown, that by the year 2050, 70% of all people will live in urban areas. This is due to an ever-increasing desire to move to the city whether it be for work or pleasure. In an article I stumbled across in Freshome magazine, it talks about how the future of commuting affects or can affect architecture and that we, as architects play one of the most vital roles in the development of future cities. Technology allows us to stay connected to virtually the entire world thus making everything instantaneous, which leads people to expect their commute to be as seamless as their internet and social media. Architects have to be able to figure out how to design for the mass of people always moving in and out of cities and how to adapt their buildings to such a quickly changing culture while still making them last. Urban optimization is the idea that as the cities continue expanding and more people begin commuting to the cities, the architects that understand that there will be smaller spaces with increased infrastructure and architectural competition. Those architects that can create great structures while still understanding urban needs and being able to weave their building into the cities fabric will be the ones to succeed. With this increase in commuting, the need for building to fit seamlessly into current transit routes while still creating spaces that are still interesting and evoke emotion are key. Even with new buildings, it is imperative that architects don’t turn a blind eye to nature, keeping the people of a city connected to nature is essential to increasing well-being and often soothe people in times of chaos and the hustle and bustle of city life. With urbanization and commuting on the rise, there is a need to make architecture more appealing to the everyday commuter, bombarded with advertisements along their crowded train ride to the city…. The architecture should provide and escape, even if for just a few moments. For the future, in cities, it is important for architects to be able to design buildings that provide both beauty and functionality. Architects have the job of keeping cities beautiful, efficient and inspiring.