Children of the Past Envision the City of Tomorrow

How did childhood visions of future cities differ for kids growing up in the 1980s when compared to the 1960s or today? Matt Novak shares a short film from 1983 that captures the prescient urban visions of students.

1 minute read

April 24, 2013, 1:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


"Children of the 20th century (present bloggers excluded, perhaps) had some fascinating visions for the future. They tended to be pretty optimistic, but each generation betrays its own fears for the world of tomorrow. In the 1960s, kids imagined flying cars and jetpacks, tempered by fears around the Cold War. In the 1970s, kids expected their future to be filled with robot maids and vacations to Mars, but they also worried about violence, the price of gas and skyrocketing unemployment."

In the short film below from 1983, produced by Arthur R. Ciocco, students share their perceptive visions for the cities of tomorrow - which will be run by computers, feature live/work spaces, and be traversed by less-polluting forms of transportation.

http://youtu.be/zgp5Zov_wz0

Wednesday, April 24, 2013 in Smithsonian

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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