The Ideal City by SPACE10 explores a better urban future

The Ideal City gathers world-renowned experts to explore a better urban future for humanity. Research and design lab SPACE10 and publishing house gestalten have teamed up to gather world-leading architects, designers, researchers, entrepreneurs, city planners and community leaders in a new book that explores a better way forward for our shared home: the city.

What kind of cities do we want to live in? What do we believe is important for a good life? And what makes a good home for all of us? A new book – The Ideal City – explores these questions by taking a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to rethinking how we could design, plan, build and share our cities going forward. The aim is to showcase inspiring solutions and approaches that can lead to a better everyday life for both more people and the planet.

“Today, cities are not meeting the essential needs of a big portion of the people living there. Simultaneously, urban areas are the biggest driver of the climate crisis. With The Ideal City, we wanted to scour the world for inspiring chefs and ingredients, and bring them together in an aspirational cookbook for cities - stuffed with recipes on how to create a better home for humanity, while taking care of our planet," says Simon Caspersen, co-founder, SPACE10. 

“When thinking about the future of cities, it’s easy to get somewhat depressed when you get stuck into the challenges that lie ahead. But that’s not what this book is about. Instead, this book offers an optimistic alternative narrative, one that explores the countless tools, ideas and experiments already at our disposal to create better cities for all. That’s why we teamed up with SPACE10 to create this book because from algae-based food sources to new visions for self-driving vehicles, their exploration into a better future makes them the perfect co-editors for this story,” says Elli Stuhler, Editor, gestalten.

From a public bench to a city-wide masterplans

The Ideal City features experts ranging from legendary urban designer Jan Gehl to transportation entrepreneur Robin Chase; from starchitect Bjarke Ingels to the interdisciplinary design studio Urban-Think Tank; and from the largest intergovernmental organisation, the United Nations, to a small community-led policing program in the Kwanlin Dün First Nation in Canada. The book unfolds projects from 53 different cities in 30 different countries — from ideas for innovative food and energy production to schemes for diverse and inclusive housing and mobility.

5 core principles

The Ideal City is built on five core principles that can help guide the cities of tomorrow: The Resourceful City, The Accessible City, The Shared City, The Safe City and The Desirable City. Together, SPACE10 and gestalten argue, these are the building blocks for creating cities that feel better for more people to live in. Cities that are greener, healthier, more sustainable, inclusive and safe. Cities that boost our quality of life, ensure more fulfilling ways of living together and provide more opportunities for a bigger range of people. Cities that are more resilient and economically productive, while tackling the climate crisis head-on.