Yulia Vyatkina

Editor, Positive Changes Journal

Whenever somebody talks about cities of the future, they say those will be eco-cities. What is an eco-city as you understand it?

Balkrishna Doshi, Indian architect, founder of Vastu Shilpa Consultants, Pritzker Prize winner, worked under Le Corbusier:

"A truly sustainable city is a city where the least human energy and time is spent in getting things done. Then people have time for reflection and can once again act like human beings, not the robots they have been forced to become."

What is the concept of "non-extractive architecture"? Is it possible to respect nature in architecture?

Joseph Grima, co-founder of the Italian design studio Space Caviar and architect, creative director of Design Academy Eindhoven and art critic:

"The architecture of the future must prioritise conserving the earth’s resources if humans are to overcome the evolutionary crisis that they currently face. Getting better at getting better will not on its own be sufficient. In the face of our accelerating technological supremacy, we can no longer afford to simply ask how much it is possible to extract from our habitat; we are now compelled to ask how much it is reasonable to extract. <…> Non-extractive architecture must fully consider the costs not just for the individual and for society, but also future societies who will live with the consequences of the choices of today’s technologically empowered humans."

Will we get a healthy city by addressing environmental problems?

Ma Yansong, founder of China's most famous architectural firm, MAD Architects, a professor at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture:

"Modern cities right now are too much about efficiency and capital power. It is just about environment, pollution, traffic. Every city has to deal with them, but it doesn’t mean that if you solve them you have a "good city". You and I have a healthy body, but it doesn’t mean that we are mentally healthy… We talk about environment, energy saving and sustainability but I think it’s too much about technology. You have better air conditioning, better glass, better solar panels, but it doesn’t mean those who are working in this building want to stay there forever! They still want to escape every weekend and still go to the countryside because they still feel they aren’t connected with nature. That is the basics, the fundamental reason why we are starting to talk about nature now. If we say we want to be close to nature, why can’t we let the temperature be one degree less or more in your room, in the office?"

Can environmental sustainability be achieved without sacrificing living standards?

Bjarke Ingels, Danish architect, founder and creative partner of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG):

"It has been proven that, beyond a doubt, we have the capacity as the human race to cause massive impact at a planetary scale. That also means that with great power comes great responsibility… Now we have to find smart ways of making our cities resilient. Hedonistic sustainability is the idea that you can actually be sustainable but increase the quality of life while doing so. The same goes with resilience. You have to find smart ways of providing all these necessary safety measures, but do it in a way that advances the human project and creates a wonderful framework for human life."

What is the role of the city's architects and planners? What should they consider?

Joseph Grima, co-founder of the Italian design studio Space Caviar and architect, creative director of Design Academy Eindhoven and art critic:

"Designers have a decisive role to play in envisioning the possibilities of future habitats, and they could start by conceiving alternatives to the radically decentralised geographies of contemporary material production and consumption."

Bjarke Ingels, Danish architect, founder and creative partner of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG):

"When something doesn’t fit anymore, we, architects, have the ability – and responsibility – to make sure that our cities do not force us to adapt to outdated leftovers from the past, but actually fit to the way we want to live."

ArchDaily, (accessed 08.11.2022).

Ma Yansong, founder of China's most famous architectural firm, MAD Architects, a professor at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture:

"I don’t like what has happened to our cities, as this is the result of us having followed modernism for such a long time. Everything has started to look the same and lacks an inner spirituality. Nowadays, function is prioritized over nature and emotions. My architecture is about making a statement. But we are not making a building as an object, we are trying to create a landscape inside the urban environment. I derive my inspiration from traditional Chinese architecture where nature is an integral part of daily life in the city. I am looking for ways to adapt the Chinese traditions of blending nature and architecture to contemporary architecture on urban scale."