Have you ever had an idea in your mind as a child as to what the future would look like when in 2017? Did you envision people using flying cars or maybe living in space? Recently my family and I visited the local Future City Competition in Washington D.C. which showcased future cities built by youths from all walks of life.
As many of you already know my 11-year-old Anthony is a bright-minded young man who loves everything about architecture and inventing. Anthony was definitely the most excited to see the cities that were built as well as the idea’s they had for a better brighter future. At this event, we watched as 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue.
It is amazing to see how these young minds envision a world with less pollution and wastefulness of their spaces. While many of these are beautifully designed, a lot of them stuck out to my family as we had our imaginations pushed to the limits of what is possible for the world to achieve. I particularly liked how even though each of these models is barely a foot tall, you can actually see them in your mind as to what our future could look like. Giving this mom a tingly happy feeling that my kids future is just as much brighter as these youngsters have imagined it to be.
This year’s topic is “The Power of Public Spaces.” The task is to include a distributed network of innovative, multi-use public spaces that serves the city’s diverse population in the future city design. Students present their ideas via a virtual city design, using SimCity Software; a 1,500-word city essay; a scale model; a project plan, and a presentation to judges at Regional Competitions in January. Regional winners represent their region at the Finals in Washington, DC in February.
Future City is a flexible, cross-curricular educational program gives students an opportunity to do the things that engineers do—identify problems; brainstorm ideas; design solutions; test, retest and build; and share their results. With the engineering design process at its center, Future City is an engaging way to build students’ 21st-century skills.
Students participating in Future City:
- Apply math and science concepts to real-world issues
- Develop writing, public speaking, problem solving, and time management skills
- Research and propose solutions to engineering challenges
- Discover different types of engineering and explore careers options
- Learn how their communities work and become better citizens
- Develop strong time management and project management skills
This year’s winner!
2017 Future City Champions: West Ridge Middle School from Texas (North)!
The team from West Ridge Middle School from Texas (North) won the 2017 Future City Finals with their city, Sociecity. Congratulations!
If your family would like to learn more about The Future City Competition as well as compete in the 2018 Competition. Head over The Future City Website now. Have you ever heard of this competition before? Has your child ever participated? What do you think you would submit if you participated in this competition. What do you think we as a community/the world could learn from these young minds?
That is so totally amazing! I can’t believe how inventive these kids are! I’m glad to know our future is in such good hands!
Oh my goodness! Those cities are so incredible looking. I’d say our future is very bright indeed with these kids.
Wow! I am really impressed by their work on these cities! They look great!
Those kids did some amazing work on those cities. It’s amazing how incredibly creative kids can be.
How awesome of your son to be so brilliant-minded and interested in architecture. My son is still very, very young but if he showed an interest in architecture, I’d definitely be pleased!
These are so neat! It must have taken them forever to create!
What a great program. I love to see kids using their minds and creativity to come up with ideas and execute them.
What an awesome concept, planning a future city!! Great post!!
I would love to go see this in person. I am so curious in what the future will look like.
Wow! I didn’t know anything like this even existed! Love it–so great for students!
It’s always interesting to see what the kids have in mind. They are so full of ideas. What a great opportunity for children.
Wow it is so amazing to be so innovative! I never knew they had anything like this what an amazing way to keep children engaged and thinking about the future and how they can change it!
Those kids are amazing and creative. It is hard to imagine what our future cities would look like. Things are changing so rapidly.
They really prove to be the future of this world! I hope I can still be in this Earth to witness these innovation.
I love these visions so much! I remember thinking that the new millennium was so far away and it’s gonna be so futuristic! Now, I am in it, LOL!
Aside from Texas who won, I like China too; very fun to look t. But it is indeed that Texas showed futuristic architecture.
I used to love science fairs when I was younger, the future city youth competition would have been right up my alley!
Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly
Omg just amazing !!!! I can’t believe kids made these!! Some amazing work here that’s for sure
These look amazing! We should spend more time encouraging the youth. And listening to them.