CORPORATE LIFT The urban space is largely privatized. Road marking, roads and paths, shared electric vehicles and related data streams are run by strong international companies that developed the underlying technology. These data streams, combined with those of personal health monitoring and calendars, control bots and drones that guarantee services. Safety, which is in the hands of privatized police services and security agencies, is ensured by Artificial Intelligence. There are hardly any undesignated spaces in the city. Small parks have become indoor recreation spaces and shopping streets have been reduced to facades and shop windows that have nothing but storage behind them. Stores have been replaced by indoor spaces for try-and-buy retail on the outskirts of the city.
CLIMATE CASCADE The management and use of public space is largely left to bottom-up initiatives. As a result of the economic situation, some neighborhoods in Ghent have a deteriorated appearance. Public infrastructure is maintained somehow or other, but priority is given to digital connectivity, which is a condition for economic activities. Other public infrastructure is hardly ever renewed: it suffices if it holds out at all in the difficult circumstances.
LOCAL SENTRY The public space is accessible, even cozy, thanks to the persevered district politics that large numbers of volunteers are involved in. Green spaces in the city are managed by local communities and provide a pleasant environment. Moreover, these green spaces provide cooling on hotter days and help with water storage. The local government inspects and certifies local associations’ activities that make Ghent a sociable and clean city. Individual electric vehicles have a large share in mobility. Free communal transportation is not organized by the government, but by volunteers. Families and extended families live together on relatively small surfaces.
ECLECTIC CURRENT The urban space benefits from the deep-rooted culture of social and societal innovation. Robotics and cyber systems take care of the urban landscape and guarantee a clean and safe environment. Districts have mixed functions, even in the city center, where vegetables are grown on the roofs and in every entrance hall of public buildings. There is a strong ‘urban culture’ in Ghent that offers diverse opportunities for different target audiences. Every day, there are gatherings and activities in the city that are organized by some social company. Transportation has become a public service. Individual vehicles are also part of it.
