THE
FLEXIBLE
SPACE

Coupled with exponential population growth, the rise of the urban singleton is forcing city living spaces to shrink. In America, where apartment construction hit a 10-year high in 2016, the average dwelling has downsized by 7% since 2009. Meanwhile, the rise of gig and freelance culture, the emergence of less orthodox family structures and the unaffordability of housing for younger generations are creating further challenges.

Designers, architects and planners are applying their ingenuity to adapt to these challenges. They are optimising available space with flexible studio apartments and work-living spaces with transformable furniture and adaptable spatial configurations that change at the push of a button. Pre-fab structures and portable furniture are coming to the fore, reflecting an increasingly footloose mindset driven by experience over ownership.

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THE
HEALTHY
SPACE

Living in cities, we spend most of our time sealed away from the great outdoors, so the indoor spaces in which we live, work, learn and relax have a profound effect on our wellbeing. Consequently, designers, architects and materials scientists are increasingly looking to innovative design features which enhance our health, happiness, mindfulness and productivity.

Pollution is one of the major negatives of our densely populated cities. Nine out of 10 people on the planet now breathe polluted air, according to World Health Organization estimates, which link some three million deaths every year to outdoor air pollution. Air pollution, outdoor and indoor, plays a part in one in every nine deaths worldwide.

Air pollution is being tackled on all levels from government and architecture to the individual. From simple integration of plants in the interior space to innovative solutions for clean and purified air and new wellness destinations, the healthy space is on the rise.

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THE
RE-MADE
SPACE

For the first time in history, urban waste is growing faster than the rate of urbanisation. According to the World Bank, by 2025 the urban population will have grown by 1.4 billion people, each of whom will be discarding an average of 1.42kg of waste per day – more than double the current average of 0.64kg per day. In that period, it is estimated that annual worldwide urban waste will more than triple, from 0.68 to 2.2 billion tonnes per year.

To cope with the massive mountains of trash generated by multi-million populations, cities of the future will need to forget the difference between waste and resource. Our trash will have to become the starting point for something new. Already, ideas and initiatives are providing a glimpse of how we could build urban environments more sustainably in the future and designers are discovering ways to reuse what we already have to create re-made spaces.

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THE
MAKER
SPACE

Inspired by the internet’s disruption of communications, the rapidly growing Maker Movement is bringing about a revolution in manufacturing. It has the potential to fundamentally change the nature of production, thanks largely to the democratisation of digital fabrication technology, which allows anyone, anywhere, to create their own items. 

Brands and manufacturers are getting wise to the demand for self-realisation through making. They are becoming educators, to satisfy the demand from those seeking new learning experiences. These changes are leading to a popular vision of the future city as a place of self-sufficiency. Cutting-edge technology and hands-on practical skills will enable citizens to power, feed and fix themselves. Offering connection to a community of like-minded individuals, the internet is bringing people together to participate in the culture of making. 

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