Five thoughts on the fifth facade
Solutions to many of our urban problems can be found up on the roof, say Freija Carlstén and Emmelie Nilsson
Smart unplugged
Don’t get hung up on the gadgetry, writes Matthew Marson. Smart is about the ends, not the means
Strangers in the city
Urban loneliness is a huge problem, but it doesn’t necessarily need large-scale design solutions, write Yasmin Afshar and Michi McCloskey
Five steps to 3D-printing a home on mars
The Red Planet has all the raw materials we need to create human settlements, says Matthew Troemner
The map is not the territory
It’s easy to be seduced by the power and precision of digital models, writes Mark Bessoudo. But they can only ever offer an approximation of reality
12 people who can save the world
Let’s think of the energy transition as a mission to save the Earth. It’s an impossible situation, writes Susan Krumdieck, but drastic times call for unlikely heroes
The Possible issue 04: what can’t we afford to lose?
This issue seeks the optimum balance between technology and the human element
Blockchain: the missing link
The technology behind cryptocurrencies could hold the key to managing complex networks of all kinds, from supply chains and energy microgrids to the internet itself, writes Robbie Epsom
Cities by numbers: How to make urban metrics count
Historian Poornima Paidipaty explains how new data streams give a more nuanced picture of how cities work, and why they fail
Five components of the modular future
Factory-built homes could make affordable, healthy city living possible for all, argue Narada Golden and Chris Edmonds
Brief encounters in the multicultural city
Urban planners should worry less about making communities diverse, and more about creating ’overlapping spaces’ between them, argues Mo Sarraf
In search of eudaimonia, or why we cannot just design happiness
An ancient town in Laos causes Mark Bessoudo to reflect on the limits of designing for the good life
One thing for sure: Adapting to climate change
How do we prepare for a future that is both entirely certain and completely unknowable?
The Smartest Place I Know: Fawley Waterside
Siemens’ Julie Alexander picks a regeneration project on England’s south coast that could become the UK’s most connected city
The hiker’s guide to humanity
Agustin Chevez reveals what he learned about the future of work and human purpose while walking from Melbourne to Sydney …
Five ways to understand social sustainability
It’s often misinterpreted or dismissed as intangible — but there’s nothing fluffy about it, says Helena Klintström
Adaptive decision-making: “There are lots of possible futures”
We can’t completely predict climate change, in part because it depends on how we react to it
Got it covered? How corporates can manage risk in an uncertain world
Take every chance to fix issues before it is too late, says WSP’s Michael Mondshine
A contrarian view: “Some Airports Treat You Like Sheep”
The hallmarks of future airports will be efficiency, convenience, ease of operation – and not shopping, argues MIT’s Richard de Neufville
Heathrow 2030: Sustainability, saunas and very little signage
Expansion programme director Phil Wilbraham explains how the UK’s biggest airport intends to double passengers while creating a more personal service
So what will we be doing in the airport of the future? Anything we want
Tomorrow’s airport is not just a place to catch a plane or pick up some duty-free…
Blank Canvas: Can technology tackle a hotel resort’s laundry pile?
Three engineers, armed with drones, robot bins and pneumatic tubes, take on hospitality’s eternal towel problem
Back to the drawing board
One of humanity’s oldest skills is making an unlikely comeback as designers rebel against the render
The future of airports
With passenger numbers set to double, and technology shaking up everything from retail to runways, aviation is soaring into a new golden age
Airports: The best security experience is one you don’t know you’ve had
Advances in biometrics, facial recognition and AI are helping to make security invisible
Facial recognition and intelligent vacuum cleaners: Welcome to the automated airport
Robots are taking their first steps to welcoming passengers, handling baggage, driving shuttles and carrying out airfield inspections
Defensive realms: protecting cities from terrorism
How can we secure our cities from the threat of terrorism without destroying what makes them liveable?
Biological and chemical attacks: should we lock the doors?
The risk of such attacks has increased, but there is no agreed strategy for how to respond
In praise of human error: why breaking the rules can be safer
Following security protocols to the letter can increase risk
Connected cities: Is smarter safer?
Intelligent systems make cities vulnerable to new threats
The Possible issue 03: human after all
This issue looks at nurturing human creativity in an increasingly automated world
Adapt or mitigate: the dilemma for cities
Do the two climate-change disciplines need to talk to each other more?