The world’s great cities tend to have one thing in common – they’re a fine balance of the past and present but have a firm eye on the future.
The best way to travel back in time in any city is to look at its architecture. New York’s skyscrapers are a window into the last few decades. The Eiffel Tower in Paris has dominated the skyline for nearly 150 years. In London, a tour of the royal residences will take you back centuries. And all three have big plans for the future with new skyscrapers changing the urban landscape every year.
Mankind has always been fascinated by its past and how it will inform our future, and architecture - particularly in cities - is one of the most powerful representations of this. Cities have changed greatly over time, but what will they look like in the future? Based on all of mankind's most ambitious and grandiose architectural plans, Budget Direct has created seven cityscapes of the future.
Oh, and if the image doesn't look big enough, just click on it or open in a new tab to see the hi-res version in all its futuristic glory!
New York City
Probably the world’s most famous skyline New York City’s skyscrapers, from the groundbreaking Empire State Building to the instantly iconic One World Trade Center, are immediately recognisable. And Manhattan in particular shows no sign of slowing down. Second only to Hong Kong in average overall height, things are only going to get more dramatic if the The Big Bend and Times Squared 3015 tower get approved.
Bangkok
Thailand’s capital often feels rooted to the streets - its buzzing markets, shophouses and food joints barely reach above the first story of any building. Even its temples are remarkably low-rise. But in the 1980s an unregulated building frenzy coupled with investment injections from all over the world saw an awesome 600 skyscrapers emerge from the earth along with its iconic Skytrain. And they continue to appear along with plans for cycle lanes cantilevered from Skytrain tracks and communities elevated skyward in a Wetropolis to escape ever rising water levels. If they come off, the Venice of the East will only look more extraordinary.
Dubai
Nowhere on Earth has seen as much urban development as Dubai in modern times. It’s true to say that Dubai is its skyline, although despite popular belief that it’s all new the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood dates back to the 1890s. Home to the world’s tallest building (currently!) in the Burj Khalifa, there’s plenty more to come too. Particularly exciting are the 75 kilometer long (around 46 miles) Arabian Canal and Dynamic Tower where each floor independently rotates.
Moscow
So often cloaked in swirling snow, Moscow’s skyline has a few incomparable buildings that give the city its brooding feel – St Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin in particular. Stalin’s Soviet-era Seven Sisters were Moscow’s answer to New York, while the Moscow City International Business Center incorporates three of Europe’s tallest buildings. Most exciting of all perhaps is Norman Foster’s completely bonkers looking Crystal Island superstructure, which if built will be the largest manmade structure on Earth.
Rio de Janeiro
Dominated by its natural surroundings and the incredible Christ the Redeemer, Rio looks like nowhere else. Throw in the likes of Oscar Niemeyer’s Museum of Modern Art masterpiece and the infamous favelas and we can see that diversity is rife and planning regulation loose. Future plans include underwater farms and ecological island-set developments called Aequorea, while ambitious developers looking to improve living standards are busy reconceptualising the favelas into healthier, happier environments.
London
Despite the damage it took in the blitz campaigns of World War II, London has retained swathes of beautiful period architecture, from the Houses of Parliament to St Paul’s Cathedral, the latter of which brings with it strict city-wide planning regulations that mean no building can interrupt the view of Christopher Wren’s famed dome from specific points around the British capital. That hasn’t stopped creative developers building Europe’s tallest tower in the Shard, and other quirkily monikered towers like the Gherkin, Walkie Talkie and Cheesegrater. There are plans for more too, like Spire London and the amazing looking Endless Vertical City.
Paris
The capital of style and world’s most visited city, Paris’s most famous resident, the Eiffel Tower, was built for the 1889 World Fair and even now dominates city views. But it’s not alone with visitors also flocking to the beautiful cathedral at Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe and then of course there’s the awesome blend of old and new at the Centre Pompidou. But in the future, architects have envisioned farmscrapers and smart green buildings as the new normal - and they make quite the impression.
