The Stegreif project was one of several weekend impromptu projects done as part of the master studies at the Technical University Braunschweig (GER).

Already today the majority of people is living in cities – and the consequences are widespread. Overcrowding, pollution, lack of basic services, water, food, jobs, infrastructure. With the rising urbanization and population, these challenges will only multiply. How can the future’s cities look and work like to counteract? What will stay the same, what will change?

In this vision, two main aspects are emphasised: Once already today a major focus is on infrastructure and new modes of transport; moving away from individual motorised traffic to better, faster, and more sustainable public transport, autonomous vehicles, innovative projects like Elon Musk’s HyperLoop or even the SpaceX program. The city of tomorrow will, therefore, be largely influenced by all these new infrastructural technologies and its image must adapt accordingly. In the visualization above, a combination of mostly existing conceptual modes is shown – the HyperLoop, small self-flying or self-driving cars, new and larger planes in combination to ‘traditional’ transport systems. At the same time as the globalising world, cities move further towards mixed functional districts, where everything can be found and done in five minutes walking distance. Therefore, the pedestrian and cyclist will stay or climb in the position of the prioritized traffic member. Additional to the infrastructural changes, more nature, unsealed ground, recreational and retreat space, air cleaning and oxygen-producing plants, and individual farming space is needed. At the same time, many cities will encounter more floods and other natural catastrophes. To cope with this while remaining a high density, a stronger, and modular verticalization is part of the utopia, where the minimal ground is covered and spaces, life, transport, movements, and interactions take place on multi-layered platforms and bridges.