Return to Futurama

At the 1939 World's Fair, one of the most popular exhibits was the Futurama, sponsored by GM and portraying a dazzling society of skyscrapers and freeways. Today, a group of architects, engineers and planners are creating a new Futurama.

1 minute read

May 2, 2009, 5:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


"Earlier this month, a group of engineers, architects, planners, museum directors, writers and others gathered at the Pocantico Conference Center at Tarrytown, N.Y. to consider the merits of putting on a new Futurama – a vision of what life might be like in 2050, when more sustainable arrangements are likely to be in place, including more transport options such as transit, energy-efficient buildings, and renewable power sources including solar and wind. A more positive portrayal of post-carbon life is needed to balance the apocoplyctic predictions of warming, says organizer Bill Becker, executive director of the Denver-based Presidents Climate Action Project Petra Todorovich from America 2050 demonstrated an interactive presentation on how people would make different journeys in the future, using intelligent transportation or high-speed rail. Gary Lawrence from Arup presented on the planned Chinese eco-city of Dongtan."

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