Visible Cities : Envisioning Social Futures

Dunn, Nick (2021) Visible Cities : Envisioning Social Futures. In: The Routledge Handbook of Social Futures :. Routledge, London, pp. 304-313. ISBN 9781138340336

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Abstract

Visions for place carry and project the concepts and ideologies behind them and, in doing so, it is evident they are not neutral since what they omit can be as important as what they promote. The many visualisations produced for future cities are especially relevant to this latter point. Typically constructed to depict the apparent virtues of coherence, cleanliness, efficiency and light, visions for futures are often keen to promote technology. Why should this matter? Images such as these are critical in how we construct and share ideas for our collective future, providing portals for how the world might be. In their expression of the not-yet such imagery shapes our ideas of, and intentions toward, futures. Social visions for collective life appear remarkable for their scarcity in contemporary visions. This chapter draws on the use of visual methods to better understand how we can articulate visions which are predicated on social and environmental issues rather than being solely driven by technology. In particular, it seeks to contribute to the propagation of this wider array of futures.