Do we want to live in green or brown cities in the future? Do we want smaller communities and living space close to nature or do we want dense urban environments? This is a very relevant question for todays place managers. We in Bearing have recently been in a discussion about the potential to retrofit the inner city of a capital in Europe, and this made me keep my eyes and mind open for the dialogue of possibilities out there in the current public debate. This week I came across an interesting speech on the topic.
As more than half of the world population now live in urban areas and as most media images of the future show Blade Runner-esque dense urban landscapes with no sunlight, no plants and kilometre tall buildings, the future of our cities is a very relevant question. At the same time in reality cultural protection and cost issues are a major challenge for redevelopment.
In a TED talk in Vilnius, Lithuania this week, the architect and city planner Mindaugas Pakalnis spoke about the green or brown future of cities, about our options and about creative renovation. Pakalnis main focus of the talk is on sustainable engineering and design, and on what our options are for the future in medium size cities like Vilnius. It is an interesting speech that I recommend any place manager to watch.