City Block of the Future?

Published by Wayward on June 8th, 2009

coop_canyon

What you’re looking at is a picture of ‘Co Op Canyon’ , one of many ways we could adapt urban life to be sustainable in the future. It’s been designed by Los Angeles design firm Standard and we have to admit – it looks pretty cool. The single block is said to generate enough energy from rainwater, solar power and farming to sustain 1,000 residents.

The design was inspired by Ansaszi Indians, an ancient Native American culture who lived as one with their own natural environment – or at least, that’s what the PR people are saying. Whatever the inspiration, the science behind Co Op Canon is quite impressive. Houses encircle a central garden area which is tiered. Every person living in an apartment gets an allotment of space to grow food. The structure wastes no water and emits no carbon.

The building is also focused on providing community access including office and retail space, fitness facilities and a community kitchen. The idea seems a lot nicer than the oppressive vision of the future we’ve all seen in films like Blade Runner and what’s more, it doesn’t seem that unfeasible unlike many ‘sustainable’ projects.

The design was created for a competition called Re: Vision Dallas which offered designers the chance to create an energy efficient living area within the space of a single city block. We just wonder how much it would cost to live in the Canyon…

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