How Can We Improve Urban Planning Of The Future?

I think that many of us think of cities as being polluted, carbon consuming areas, I certainly have spent most of my life so far with this way of thinking. Growing up living in the countryside surrounded by farm land and then in the the suburbs, I remember thinking of cities as cramped and somewhat unpleasant…

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Is Biohacking the Next Step in Evolution?

Biohacking can be described as ‘maximising your biology through a series of investigations, measurements, feedback and action to achieve the ultimate results with minimal effort. Think: creating your optimal self.’.  Although this sounds quite intense it can vary from things as simple as optimising your sleep by controlling the temperature of your bedroom to implanting…

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The Demise of Skilled, Traditional Manufacturing

The first of our talks on design and technology came from Craig Whittet encouraging the discussion of the demise of skilled, traditional manufacturing techniques and some of the implications of this. One of the areas of manufacturing focused on was shoe manufacturing, an industry that illustrates this change in how goods are manufactured.  Shoe manufacturing…

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Heatherwick Studio’s Drive for More Green Space in Urban Environments

With sprawling cities and urban environments becoming increasingly densely packed, it is becoming ever more important to push for more green spaces in our cities.  Thomas Heatherwick’s London-based studio has been working towards this goal in some of the world’s largest cities with projects in London, Shanghai and New York. Thomas Heatherwick’s approach to design is…

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Promoting Sustainable Consumerism with FixIts

Consumerism is a huge problem in today’s society. Our throw-away attitude towards everyday goods and resources means that we have become accustomed to using and using without considering how much material and energy we are wasting.  This problem extends far past pollution and the depletion of nonrenewable resources but can also be seen to have…

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Creative Chef’s Utopian Future Where Food is Currency

While visiting the Design Fair at the London Design Festival, I met Creative Chef.  I was taken on a journey to London 2218 where there is no money and instead, individuals cultivate and trade in the food that they are able to grow themselves.  This future stems from the need to reduce dependency on processes…

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