From high technology to green spaces: the 21st-century city

published on 20 February 2012

The 21st-century city faces a diversity of seemingly contradictory challenges: while it is increasingly concerned with connectedness-related issues, it must also foster green and natural spaces – an objective that is quite separate from issues relating to communications technology, such as wi-fi access.

In our previous web review, we discussed mobility; in this follow-up review, The City Factory shifts its focus from networks (transport systems) to the network (the web). A city’s connectedness serves several purposes, ranging from tourism to risk-prevention to the consumption of electricity.

Even as cities continue to acquire high-tech capacities, they cannot neglect a critical issue for urban development: green spaces. Leasing patches of grass, growing rooftop vegetation, and other initiatives designed to make core urban spaces greener are increasingly central issues for cities.

Cities 2.0: a multi-purpose urban environment

London is using digital technology as a tourism asset. Innov’in the City reports on the deployment of QR codes throughout the city, enabling visitors to access a wealth of information on monuments, hotels, and restaurants.

Using all means to make cities greener

Cities must not rely only on digital technology to become greener: they must also use more basic means, such as rain gardens. The Atlantic Cities reports on the merits of rain gardens. They not only reduce polluted storm water runoff, but also add visual appeal to urban settings.

Another way for green spaces to spread across cityscapes is to foster rooftop vegetation. Accordingly, Inhabitats.com reviews some of the most visually appealing green roofs atop buildings in the tourism industry. These examples artfully combine environmental and aesthetic qualities.