1. The document discusses challenges for designing 21st century cities, including balancing economic, ecological and social dimensions. 2. It argues that future cities should be based on circular economies and societies that foster strong social networks and relationships between residents. 3. The author advocates for designing cities that evolve organically over time rather than following strict masterplans, and that empower citizens and cultivate collaborative leadership.

1. Geoff Mulgan
Future Communities: building cities for life

2. 为人民服务
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5. What people want from cities:
a good living, a good life, friends,
family, the sources of happiness
What cities deliver: opportunity,
mobility, jobs, money ...+ stress,
loneliness, fear & abandonment
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6. The great challenge for 21st century cities:
mastering three dimensions of design:
economic, ecological and social
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7. More circuits!
The great 21st century cities
will be based on the circular
economy (materials, energy,
flows) & the circular society ...
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8. Happiness: comes from
relationships, health, income, jobs,
neighbours, giving...
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9. Future communities: synthesising what is known about social
design to help major developments
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10. The new cities…
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11. Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. Foster & Partners 11

12. Hammarby Sjöstad, Sweden 12

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14. But where are the people?
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15. The first generation ever whose life expectancy
is higher than the life expectancy of buildings
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16. 1. Be ambitious for the future – but learn from
the past, from what has and hasn’t worked
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17. Cabrini Green, Chicago
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18. Moss Side, Manchester ,UK
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19. Paris projets, France 2005
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20. Living ecosystems are
never made up of identical
repetitions
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22. Living things have multiple, complex edges,
gateways and passages
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23. 2. Understand how people live and what
makes them feel they belong
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24. The fine detail of design for sociability
- Interaction but not too much, lines of
sight; privacy without isolation
- Boundaries and identities
- Ease of movement for children and
elderly...
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26. ‘We should try to introduce into our modern
villages & towns what was always the lovely
feature of English & Welsh villages, where
the doctor, the grocer, the butcher & the
labourer all lived in the same street. I
believe it is essential for the life of a citizen
….. to see the living tapestry of a mixed
community.’ Aneurin Bevan, Minister of Housing,
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27. 3. Design in incompleteness: the best
cities evolve themselves rather than
only following a masterplan
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30. 4. Nurture social networks – accelerate them
in the early stages
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32. Community led hyper-local websites
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34. 5. Design for ‘green’ behaviour – make the
defaults easy
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35. Kronsberg, Hanover, Germany.
Agenda21 Design Homes.
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36. Wimbledon smart travel schools project
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37. Paris, London & other cities providing
bicycles & green buses ….
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38. 6. Create communities that work for everyone
– good fences make good neighbours but
too many walls breed fear
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39. Gated Community, UK 39

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43. 7. Design in enabling
infrastructures and circuits: make
society visible to itself
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44. Empower citizens as well
as systems e.g. smart
grids for energy
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45. Curitiba, Brazil. 45

46. 8. Grow social circuits, exchange,
mutual support, spaces for enterprise
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49. Urban agriculture and edible cities
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50. 9. Encourage myths, stories, meaning - and
link past, present and future
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51. Mobile apps, cities that
speak, oral history
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53. Vauxhall Bridge Apartments, London 53

54. Borneo Housing, Amsterdam. 54

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56. 10. Cultivate collaborative leadership,
empowerment contributes to happiness
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57. The Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED)
Energy & water efficiency as
well as resident engagement
‘designed in’ at BedZED
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58. - Households & businesses achieve
significant reductions in
environmental impact just by living
or working at the development.
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59. Grow collaborative leaders!
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61. People make sense and order
anywhere – but it’s better to help
them make order that is good for life
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62. Most cities were created for kings,
traders or gods – not for life. We
know what helps life – circuits,
edges, exchange - and what makes
loveable cities. And we know what
happens if they’re missing …. …
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63. Anxiety and depression
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
Anxiety, depression etc
Extrapolated trend
2%
0%
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025
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64. Proportion of Americans with no-one to talk
to about important things
1985 2004
10% 25%
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66. Recoupling growth and happiness?
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67. ‘The future’s already here – it’s just
unevenly distributed’
William Gibson
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68. Lets create a movement for better social
design, for multiplying circuits, edges,
relationships in the cities of the future
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70. 为人民服务
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