How we can design timeless cities for our collective future | Vishaan Chakrabarti

There's a creeping sameness in many of our newest urban buildings and streetscapes, says architect Vishaan Chakrabarti. And this physical homogeneity — the result of regulations, mass production, safety issues and cost considerations, among other factors — has blanketed our planet in a social and psychological homogeneity, too. In this visionary talk, Chakrabarti calls for a return to designing magnetic, lyrical cities that embody their local cultures and adapt to the needs of our changing world and climate.

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47 Comments on How we can design timeless cities for our collective future | Vishaan Chakrabarti

    • Yeah, people are greedy and unscrupulous enough to monetize everything about a consumer (thoughts, needs, desires, blood, etc.) and then hoard the loot are at the top of the capitalist dogpile. Elon Musk could end homelessness if he wanted to, but the blood money belongs to him alone and he doesn’t have to share it.

    • Tim Newton He also helps to feed close to 300,000 families and had contributed much to humanity.
      This is coming from a guy who doesn’t even like him.

      Over the last thirty years a billion people have risen out of poverty. “UN satistic” Why? Capitalism, markets and trade.

    • Dack Hacksaw
      Nope. Because what he is proposing is reduction of government regulation which causes poor urban design, and to create cities that people want to move to because they are great
      Both of those things are in the video.

      Collectivization in the USSR was done by force, wealth was siezed and redistributed, and production schedules were centrally managed.

      Absolutely nothing, _nothing,_ like what was in the video.

      Did you comment before you watched then fly away? Please dont do that. Ever.

  1. Richmond VA has multiple party locations, why? Built before cars, so its a great walking city.

    Richmond VA is amazing, check it out sometime, come for the history and stay for the party.

  2. I don’t know, but in my country, Ireland, so much architecture from the 70’s. 80’s and 90’s looks like absolute dogshit. I think Classical and Georgian architecture is the way to go, they almost never look dated, out of place or tacky.

    • I love the Island Of Man! it’s that type of God given beauty I would love to just get lost in for the rest of my days. My bucket list. ♣

    • A lot​ of Ireland is sadly rather ugly. But it is all over cities in the world. Post War architecture is visual rape! It really only is the old cities, especially the smaller towns that have communal, cosy and comfortable and lively feel. They grew naturally to our needs and buildings were built for generations and also with care, not just pure function. I want cities to be walkable and lively. Never understood why anyone would want to live in suburbs.

    • I don’t know whats so special about it….mostly depressing weather and buildings aren’t that special either…. Nor the landscape. Looks rather barren.

  3. I’m sorry but this felt like complete nonsense…comparing not wanting processed food vs. processed architecture makes 0 sense. Also he only gave solutions that change the way we mobilize and therefore we could keep the same old cities that we had; how about finding ways to put local identity in the actual architecture while keeping the same practical advantages?

    • i agree, this make no sense to me either, i get that the old citylost is lost in our new construction, but we don’t exactly have any alternatives, we have to build and fast, or else we will be overrun by slums.

      once we hit pick demographic, i’m pretty sure we will start improve on this, until then, it’s not a choice

  4. So I guess he’s saying instead of injecting a local anesthetic, for cities we need to inject a local aesthetic.

  5. An architecturally ergonomic vision for promote our cultural heritage and to keep it sustainably relatable for better social cohesion. Fantastc talk! Nice one!

  6. The Auravana Project is building upon the work of these architects to build cities of difference in a community network of cities.

  7. The difference is all the new cities were built around the same era. The older cities are separated in time by hundreds of years.

    • also, they were build when we were less than 500 million on this planet. the number of people have dramatically increased and we need to build fast, reliable and cost effective.

      when we hit the pic demographic we will start working on this

  8. *Technological Slavery: Reduction of carbon foot print is about killing off billions in population and putting the rest of humans into a closed and surveilled police state; its clean, technocratical, yet, its an inhuman living habitat for prized ZOO ANIMALS. Building technological, inhuman communities treats people like captured prey. Everything (Chakrabarti) says is deceptive propaganda against Americans to deceive and seduce them to accept their dismantlement of their God-given sovereignty, their property and their land. Lies Kill People* Advanced Technology is being used as a lure like the pied piper seducing humanity into a technological slavery. The “place we cherish the most” is our homes. That’s the very property right the pied piper Chakrabarti wants to dispossess Americans of.

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