Episode 275: Blueprints for Utopias

The golden age of sci-fi was filled with utopian visions the future. These days, when sci-fi creators project ahead several decades, the world is looking a lot more dystopian. But there is a group of artists who believe that a better tomorrow is possible if we can imagine it first. Architects are finding that science fiction can be a great way to understand how their buildings will adapt to a rapidly changing world. I talk with architect and Texas Tech professor Jes Deaver about why she thinks sci-fi can inspire her students to not only think outside the literal box, but to have more empathy. Liam Young explains why he created a program at SCI-Arc to train architects working in fictional or virtual worlds. And author Thomas R. Weaver discusses how he enrolled a city planner to build a pitch deck for a colony spaceship, and why floating cities may not be the best solution to climate change. 

This episode is sponsored by The Perfect Jean, Audible and Hims.

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Blueprints for Utopias transcript

MUSIC LIST

• Interlude by Clemens Ruh 

• Prisms by Yeti

• Out To The World by Axon Terminal 

• Pulse by Enigma

• Daydreamer by Brock Hewitt

• The Built World by Sancuts