Cities from Scratch
January 24, 2025
Jam Press/Toyota
Cities are messy, unpredictable, and shaped over centuries—but a new wave of urban experiments is asking: what if we could start fresh?
Toyota just unveiled its $10 billion Woven City in Japan, a real-life testing ground for autonomous vehicles, renewable energy, and AI-driven infrastructure. Starting with 100 residents (eventually growing to 2,000), the city is designed to be a high-tech, human-centered experiment in urban living.
Meanwhile, outside Nairobi, Tatu City is emerging as Africa’s answer to rapid urbanization. Built from the ground up to be clean, safe, and well-planned, it’s already home to 5,000 residents, with 88 businesses employing 15,000 people. The goal? To create a private city where infrastructure and governance actually work.
Both projects reflect a growing trend: cities as laboratories for innovation. Could this be the future of urban life, or an Orwellian disaster in the making?
MUST-READS
Seven listening bars from around the world // Dezeen
Moses Operandi explores architecture's social rituals // NYRA
Seven proposals for a circular built environment // Metropolis
Rotterdam’s vision for an urban future // Wallpaper
Anina Major wins the inaugural Future Perfect Prize // Surface
Straw as a building material makes a sustainable comeback // Fast Company
How ceilings affect our feelings: A research brief // Venetian Letter
IDEA SPOTLIGHT
Stardust, the story of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown
A look at the groundbreaking partnership of postmodern architects Venturi and Scott Brown, Stardust unpacks their designs and challenges faced in a sexist industry. Directed by their son, the film sheds light on Scott Brown’s overlooked contributions, including the controversy of Venturi receiving the 1991 Pritzker Prize alone.
INSTAGRAM SPOTLIGHT
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