Copyright: © städtebau

What if there were only self-driving cars, buses and trains in our cities, if the production of vegetables, fruit or the breeding of fish no longer took place outside the urban centres but right around the corner from me in the city, if more and more everyday processes and areas such as logistics, trade, mobility or resource management were based on digital technologies - what would such cities look like and how would we live in them?

Everyday life is becoming more and more digital, leading to changes in many areas of life in urban society. The transformation of cities into smart cities, in the sense of integrated and sustainable urban development, is advocated in many places and understood as an opportunity to use the possibilities of digitalisation in a targeted and forward-looking way. But what does it mean for the design of our living spaces when municipal infrastructures such as energy, buildings, transport or water are linked with information and communication technologies? How do digital technologies affect urban planning measures?

The exhibition is dedicated to future scenarios by students of the Chair of Urban Design at RWTH Aachen University who are looking at Aachen in 2040+. The focus is on projects that deal with sustainable, resource-saving and demand-oriented ideas for liveable urban spaces. It will also take a look at the interactions between urban development and the digital transformation in everyday life. How autonomous vehicles or aquaponics could affect the design and planning of urban neighbourhoods or what possibilities this creates for urban development to promote lively neighbourhoods or bring more greenery into the city can be seen at OecherLab from 11 January to 19 February 2022. Topics such as mobility, production and trade, energy and resources will be examined from an urban planning perspective and show a small sample of the diverse challenges and tasks that future urban planners and architects will face in their exchange with urban society.