Carbon did more than just power the 20th century; it profoundly changed the nature of human life and work. Nor is carbon alone. Throughout history, communities and civilizations have reforged themselves around new forms of energy, think fire and animal husbandry, for example. In this amazing session, I talk with five globally influential creatives about how today’s cities might reforge themselves going forward around the energy sources of tomorrow.
Malka Older is a writer, academic and aid worker. She is a faculty associate at Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society and an associate researcher at the Centre de Sociologie des Organisations at SciencesPo. She is the author of the award-winning Centenal Cycle series, a fascinating look into the future of information, cities, organizations, and democracy in a world of micro-states: “Infomocracy,” “Null States,” and “State Tectonics.”
Andrew Dana Hudson is a speculative fiction writer and sustainability researcher and one of the leading new voices exploring the future of solar-powered societies. His writings have explored the urban futures of cities all over the globe, real and imagined, from Detroit, Portland, Miami, and Atlanta to Delhi, Melbourne, and the Arctic. His award-winning stories have appeared in Slate Future Tense, Lightspeed magazine, Vice Terraform, MIT Technology Review, Grist, Little Blue Marble, The New Accelerator, and more.
Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry are the founding co-directors of the Land Art Generator . Their unprecedented, ground-breaking global design competitions have set a new world standard for the visual imagination of the post-carbon city and the urban future powered by renewable energy. Elizabeth Monoian works closely with cities, universities, corporations, arts organizations and community groups to design customized approaches to renewable energy installations. Robert Ferry is a registered architect and LEED-accredited professional with two decades of professional experience.
Joey Eschrich is the editor and program manager for the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University. He has co-edited a number of books of fiction and nonfiction, including “Everything Change: An Anthology of Climate Fiction;” “A Year Without a Winter;” “Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities,” which was supported by a grant from NASA; and “Cities of Light,” ASU’s newest look into the future of post-carbon cities.
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