How Do We Plan For Cities on Mars?

Planning for the first human occupied martian cities is taking its next big step with three 3D-printed test colonies planned to be erected in the Mojave Desert.

1 minute read

August 19, 2016, 12:00 PM PDT

By jwilliams @jwillia22


Thanks to a Kickstarter funded project, planners, architects, engineers, and others will now have the opportunity to develop what could become prototypes for future martian cities. Vas Panagiotopoulos of Quartz reports that a multi-day workshop put on by the Mars City Foundation this September at the University of Southern California will invite innovators to plan for cities that could accommodate up to 1,000 people. The project is the brainchild of architect and "marschitect" Vera Mulyani.

The workshop, whose speakers include Jim Erickson, project manager of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover, and Madhu Thangavelu, a professor at the Viterbi School of Engineering, will also be attended by Apollo 11 pilot Buzz Aldrin.

... Mulyani says her team’s goal is to look far ahead, to examine “what happens after the first city, what happens after we have a base.” She also sees the purity of Mars as an opportunity to think long-term, something we didn’t do (and arguably still aren’t doing) on Earth.

Panagiotopoulos reports that the Mars City Design team will select three city-design proposals from among 25 finalists to 3D print as test runs in the Mojave desert. The finalists include projects that focus on vertical farming, an indoor river system and a system that uses elements in martian soil to create oxygen, water, energy, and nutrition.

Saturday, July 30, 2016 in Quartz

portrait of professional woman

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

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

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view of red brick multi-story power plant building in Pittsburgh, PA.

Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower

A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

July 4 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Cyclist on protected bike lane in middle of street in Washington D.C. with Washington Monument obelisk visible in background.

Trump Prompts Restructuring of Transportation Research Board in “Unprecedented Overreach”

The TRB has eliminated more than half of its committees including those focused on climate, equity, and cities.

July 4 - Streetsblog USA

Blue and silver Amtrak train at small station.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train

The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

July 3 - New Orleans City Business