THE CITY OF THE FUTURE/ THE HISTORY CHANNEL
Chicago, our City of the Future, is influenced by the 100-year scientific perdition to climate, energy and population. Chicago’s urban landscape will be shaped through an organic process, defend by the needs and desires of its citizens in synergy with the leaders of architecture, science and engineering. Global devastation to our current metropolises including New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans will create mass population displacements within North and South America leaving the City of Chicago inline for becoming the largest city center in the world. The larger suburban edge cities of Chicago will absorb overpopulation and congestion while melding with outer suburbs creating pockets of economic activity and growth. Depletion of fossil fuels, rising global temperatures and the population explosion will lead to the demand of innovational technology that will allow Chicago to become the global center for science research and development including biological and space technologies. A major development for Chicago will be the construction of a space elevator. This major resource will allow a constant flow of material to space to develop the first solar array. The harnessing of the sun and the spike in usable energy will become one of the major leaps for mankind in 22nd Century.
The Chicago grid remains the main organization for local transportation, water and power. Upper sky gardens connect towers at various levels creating vertical pedestrian circulation and a method of facilitating evacuations ensuring safety during threat of attack or disaster. Main expressways become automated and expand to an average of 50 lanes leading to a controllable flow of traffic alleviating congestion. Parking structures control city limits connecting local transportation. Automated transportation for transference of goods will be increasingly incorporated into highway system. Inner city rings allow for neighborhood connections and development. Current metro and city rail will be modernized and expanded. As the population expands and the demands for outdoor recreation grow, elevated greenbelts transform the city’s voids. An island is created on the lake to accommodate tourism and ecological research. Live performances will grow in demand and become an utopian experience.