As leader of Arup’s global Foresight + Research + Innovation team, Chris Luebkeman spends much of his time thinking about how to build tomorrow’s cities today. Writer Peter Moskowitz spoke with him about aging and climate change.
How do you design for something that hasn’t happened yet? Predicting how the world will look in the future and shaping buildings, parks, streets — really everything — accordingly seems impossible. But in reality, it’s both achievable and absolutely critical. Consider global warming: if we don’t start forecasting what extreme weather will do to our cities and designing them accordingly — creating building façades that consume noxious gases, say, or streetscapes that absorb water — we’ll suffer dire consequences down the line. As leader of Arup’s global Foresight + Research + Innovation team, Chris Luebkeman spends much of his time thinking about how to build tomorrow’s cities today. Functioning as the company's internal think tank and consultancy, his group is tasked with understanding megatrends shaping the future of the built environment: inequality, demographic shifts, technological advances, and changes in governance, for example. But understanding the broader context is only half the battle.
FULL STORY: [Y]our future, according to Chris Luebkeman
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A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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