The Future City: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• How people from different eras envisioned future cities differently, influenced by their contemporary issues
• How multiple projects are impacting the future of Atlanta, a major urban center of the Southeast
• How to connect current trends with how they are influencing our perceptions of the future city and practice as planners

MORE SESSION DETAILS

The future has long held a fascination for people. What will our cities look like? How will we get around? How will our daily lives change? This session will examine the future city — how we have imagined the future in the past, how we envision future cities today, and how emerging planning trends are influencing views of tomorrow. To focus the conversation, five panelists will use Atlanta — and its many visions for the future, past, and present — as a case study. Starting with an overview of future cities of the past, our panelists will then examine three specific projects that represent various versions of the future Atlanta, both built and planned: Peachtree Center, a 1970s downtown development that is now frequently used as the backdrop for "dystopian" films; Atlanta Aerotropolis, a dynamic initiative promoting mixed-use development around the world's busiest airport; and the City of Atlanta's Urban Ecology Framework, which is rooted in a green, ecologically innovative vision for the region's core. Binding these futures together is a changing transportation network that is already shifting to accommodate the expected rise of autonomous vehicles. The session will conclude with a discussion of our role — and responsibility — as planners in shaping our future cities.