Welcome to Earth City.
Yeah, you heard that right.
You’re not going on a globe-trotting tour
to see all the planet’s major cities.
You’re already there.
Today, the entire planet
is just one massive city.
Ok, so to imagine
what our lives would look like
in a continuous,
planet consuming city,
we need to set the stage.
First off,
we’re going to have to be
a Type 1 civilization.
Then collectively,
we can use all the energy available
on our planet.
It also gets rid of the monotony
of having all the world’s leaders argue
over the direction of Earth City.
We all came together
and agreed on the urban planning.
Ok?
Yeah, I know,
science fiction.
Earth City would likely be divided up
into several sectors or zones.
Each of these would have its purpose.
For example,
you’d have the financial districts,
industrial,
senatorial,
and even entertainment hot spots.
The difference is,
they’re not taking up a few blocks.
They could be taking up the size
of a country.
Ok, this is sounding pretty cool,
but we have a tough decision to make.
We need to decide if
our latest urban planning project
is going to cover our oceans or not?
Well, here’s the thing.
Unless we catch a break
and become an interplanetary civilization,
we have to make our resources count.
If we did cover all our oceans
in our expansive global city,
we would need to have advanced technology
to back us up.
If we didn’t,
there would be no ecosystems
to support the atmosphere
and global temperatures.
We’re thinking,
“leave the oceans the way they are.”
So, knowing we’re staying on dry land,
what would your new digs look like?
Well, you’d likely live
in a towering skyscraper.
It’s got a heck of a view,
but here’s the downside.
Homes with backyards or green spaces
would become a thing of the past.
That space would be used
to build more city.
Any green space
would need to be artificial
or indoors,
like botanical gardens
or museums.
Aw, remember parks?
As a direct result,
we’re going to have to get
a little creative with
how we farm.
Without the land needed for agriculture,
vertical farming
would become necessary.
Lab-grown meat
would likely be used to feed
the growing population.
Right,
so these are all things to consider.
But I can’t help but worry about one thing.
My commute to work.
If we turned Earth into one global city,
our transit system
would need to be spectacular.
The Hyperloop system
would be a series of tubes
meant for passenger
or freight transportation.
Because they are virtually free of
air resistance or friction,
the Hyperloop could travel
at hypersonic speeds,
all while being more energy-efficient
than our current train systems.
This means we could get to work
with enough time to grab a coffee,
even when traveling across the world.
So, could something like
a massive global city
actually happen?
Well, maybe.
The United Nations says
55% of the world’s population
lives in urban areas.
This number is expected to increase
to 68% by 2050.
That means the city expansion train
is going to keep on chugging.
Will it go as far
as to convert the whole planet
into one major city?
Probably not.
How can I put this?
Humans don’t usually play well with others.
Even if we had
the advanced technology needed,
this would all come down to
people cooperating
and uniting religions,
races,
governments,
cultures, and classes.
So, before our cities can grow,
we have to do some growing ourselves.
OK, now what?
Well, all this urban planning
has got me in a building mood.
How about we give our city
a test run and take a crack at
building it underwater?
What if we lived in cities underwater?
Well, that’s a story for another WHAT IF.