The Absurd Future

Over at Curbed, Amy Schellenbaum has a collection of absurd futuristic designs:

Lately it seems that every other day one ambitious architecture firm or another churns out crazy renderings they insist are what’s next for urban development. From the absurdly utopian to just plain strange—super-galactic restaurants, giant phalluses, and all—the world’s future cities sure do look like rather awesome places to hang out.

These don’t look like the kinds of places I would like to hang out. In fact, most of them seem strangely alien - impersonal and inhuman. I wonder what motivates these designs. They aren’t real. Most of them aren’t even achievable. They are pointless exercises in how “futuristic” an architect can dream. Hopefully it isn’t a future any of us have to see.