What Does a Solarpunk City Look Like?

almir and Cape Town two cities worlds away

but connected through the looming threat of climate Chaos two cities wherein communities are

rebelling against the capitalist Notions of growth accumulation

and profit-seeking to shape an urban space

that caters to people

and the planet these projects are an urban rebellion of sorts Insurgent designs

and practices that buck the trend of the inhuman urbanity

that we trudge through every day

but the work done in almir looks vastly different from

that in Cape Town a gap

that reveals the inequalities geographical differences

and local needs today we explore the future of cities unpacking how capitalism has

corrupted our current Urban spaces what future Metropolitan landscapes steeped in solarpunk

and ecosocialist degrowth politics might look like

and how nowt toian projects like those in alir outside of Amsterdam

and the Empower Shack project in Cape Town might chart a path towards actually

achieving a zeroc carbon

and just City for all this video is sponsored by ground news stick around

to the end to find out how you can get 30% off ground news

the capitalist city of today is one of immense inequality environmental destruction

and isolation in Los Angeles County

as the rich enjoy mansions

and gated communities over 75,000 people must live without shelter forever under the threat

of police raids and violence in New York City rent continues to Skyrocket leaving

many unable to afford a roof over their head meanwhile in Chicago the city

Cleaves itself into segregated neighborhoods

and like dirt in an already festering wound air pollution pervades these cities in

the US alone outdoor air pollution kills 88,500 people annually

as cars and Roads dominate communal space streets

and business high-rises slice up parks

and green spaces and the few public spaces

that do exist are underfunded leaving very few options for casual Gatherings outside the

home often meeting up with friends

or being in community requires some form of consumption

and payment whether that's buying drinks to sit at a bar tickets to go

see a movie or buying a coffee to sit down in a cafe this

is what a city run on capitalist logic looks like one where the city

becomes more about generating profit

and wealth than about the people actually moving through

that City this is especially true in the Imperial Corps where real estate has

become the way to store

and generate wealth the very roofs over our heads have been transformed into speculative

Investments for capitalists indeed 2third of the world's net worth is now in real

estate in US cities like Detroit Phoenix

and Atlanta more than 40% of home sales in 2022 went to people who

were buying secondary or investment properties

and thought leaders in the business World drool over investment properties

and the wealth generation of rental buildings for most people who want to invest

their money and build wealth real estate has

so many tax advantages

that make it very unique

and profitable a third of my net worth is in real estate right now

it's all single family dwellings

because I can get rent for them

so our cities and the buildings

that house us are just another commodity to be bought

and sold as the few accumulate vast sums through real estate rent

and housing costs have been pushed to the brink

as the host of The Dig podcast Daniel denier notes there's not a single

county in the United States where a full-time minimum wage worker can afford the

average two-bedroom apartment often you're paying 30% to upwards of 50% of your wage

straight to the hands of landlords

so after your wage has been hollowed out to maximize profits for corporations building

owners then demand a large chunk of

that wage back in the form of rent leaving you very little left to

actually survive or God forbid enjoy life

so as the author of Capital City Samuel Stein explains in

that same dig podcast episode people are paying huge amounts of the incomes

that they're making which are insufficient the landlords you can think of it

as a pretty direct transfer of capital from employers to building essentially we spend

most of our Lives working just to hand

that money over to people who own our living spaces

and if the rent doesn't get you the streets will City design has long

been centered around cars making many neighborhoods hostile to pedestrians

as I talked about in this video the urban sprawl

and endless traffic of cities like Los Angeles

or Dallas revealed just how car Centric life in the capitalist Hub of the

world has become this means

that to get to

that office or factory job you have to go deep into debt to buy

a car forcing you into a vulnerable dependence on your job

and wages just to live meanwhile the web of Highways carve up cities with

racist designs one of America's largest Public Works project the interstate High way system

has a long history of racism

when it comes to Road placements in urban spaces city after city planners designed

Highway systems to cater to White Comfort

while hollowing out poor communities

and communities of color by literally cutting through neighborhoods like in the case of

St Paul Minnesota where in 1968 the construction of Interstate 94 displaced 17th of

the city's black residents cities in the Imperial core

then have been built to facilitate profit

and the accumulation of capital with their luxury condos Highway overpasses

and commuter lines that bypass poor neighborhoods

and communities of color capitalist Urban spaces prioritize profits

and in the process create pollution segregation

and isolation from Community

but this is just in the Imperial core

as the forces of imperialism especially

that of capitalist agricultural behemoths like Bay

or Monsanto increasingly push for the industrialization

and commodification of global agriculture countries in the Imperial periphery like India

or Nigeria are facing a decline in subsistence farming populations

as AGR capitalist pressures make it difficult to grow food food

that has become increasingly exported

and commodified forcing rural populations to migrate towards cities in search of wages to

sustain themselves as Mike Davis writes in his seminal book planet of slums the

forcible incorporation into the World Market of the great subsistence peasantries of Asia

and Africa entail the famine deaths of millions

and the uprooting of tens of millions more from traditional tenures the end result

in Latin America as well was rural semi- proletarianization the creation of a global

class of immiserated semi- peasants

and farm laborers lacking existential security of subsistence we are witnessing the enclosure of

the commons on a global scale the industrialization

and commodification of rural farming have pushed Millions towards Urban centers much like in

osure laws in 17th century England did indeed urban populations have more than quadrupled

since 1970 and by 2050 6.7 billion people will live in urban areas with

90% of that growth projected to take place in Africa

and Asia for the first time in history the majority of the world's population

lives in urban centers

and one in four of those City dwellers live in informal settlements commonly known

as slums here the inflow of refugees of AGR capitalism of capitalist climate disaster

and more erect and maintain settlements on the edges of unwanted land of urbanity

often situated on dumping grounds

or land that is deemed otherwise undesirable for Real Estate developers these informal settlements

must not only face the brunt of local environmental destruction by way of water

air and soil pollution

but also weather the fury of climate change fueled natural disasters like hurricanes

and floods like in the case of cyclone Freddy ripping through BL entires dande

Township a storm that wiped away countless shelters

and displaced over 19,000 people

and because residents are deemed to be illegally squatting on this common land in

the eyes of the capitalist state it can be hard to leave even with

the threat of hurricane

or Wildfire looming because without the security of land tenure there's no knowing

if you will be allowed back to your home once you've left it

so in both the Imperial core

and periphery capitalist forces invade

and erode the strength of urban centers they leave us exposed to environmental

and climate catastrophes through lack of infrastructure segregation

and an unnecessary emphasis on fossil fuel guzzling cars for more than a century

the city has been built to cater to profits not people in their environments

and it seems like business

as usual will continue to push us down

that road but all is not lost cities might just represent a key pressure

point to to catalyze change more people than ever are living in cities over

half the world's populations call some form of urbanity their home this means

that if you change the landscape of just one city its infrastructure networks

and design you are impacting the lives of millions policies

that shift roads to bike lanes

and major city thoroughfares like can Paris impact thousands more people than shifting parking

regulations in some far off Suburban

or rural Enclave in short a little can go a long way in a

city this is crucial

because according to the UN habitat report cities consume 78% of the world's energy

and 60% of global greenhouse gases the fight over how cities are designed is

quite simply a fight for a better world for all people on the planet

but as we have just seen Urban centers are hubs of capitalist development through

real estate speculation industrial manufacturing

and financial districts City these facilitate capital accumulation

and generation of profit for the few

while the rest are left vulnerable in debt

and isolated but as KL Marx long ago observed cities also collect connect

and strengthen the power of the working class by concentrating vast amounts of people

in one place capitalists enjoy immense access to cheap

and readily exploitable labor

but within that concentration there is also a seed of Hope cities bring us

close together they allow the working class to easily organize

and strategize to struggle against the confines of capitalist extraction

so as Urban centers grow the power of movements for justice grows with them

the city is a landscape

that is pregnant with possibilities ripe for change

when we bring housing connection

and environmental healing to communities

and cities we immediately bring a good life to millions in turn those transform

cities can act as hubs

that jumpstart Global transitions to a renewable world based on solar pump ecosocialist

and degrowth principles the visions of solar Punk paint a luscious optimism ones of

thriving cities interconnected with their surrounding Landscapes here Luke shutan envisions dense apartment complexes

full of natural light

that interweave with The Verdant landscaping

and public transit below

or here at monchan sees a City built around pedestrians

and Greenery rather than cars

and industry or even here in the streets of wakanda where public transit gives

way to a bustling Market of people in community these are just a few

quick glimpses of what Urban centers could be

but what are the actual blueprints for these cities what are its politics

and how might these cities function developing the answer to these questions not only

offers us a light in the dark of the Shadows of our current capitalist

trajectory but also helps solidify what we're actually fighting for of course these are

Utopias of sorts the scaling up of these Visions risks the the ever-looming threat

of capitalist cooption which I'll talk about a little later in the video

but for now what would a solar Punk degrowth

and ecosocialist oriented City actually look like we'll begin with sustenance food

and water the fundamental building blocks of humanity for many in the Imperial core

sustenance comes from the grocery store

and the tap what we eat is heavily distanced from the farmers growing our

food our food is presented to us wrapped in packaging

and placed in stores is hundreds of miles away from where a farm worker

toiled to harvest that lettuce for example

and within those stores food prices seem to increase every year leaving many struggling

to put dinner on the table

and in the US the quote unquote good food is often Corden off in

wealthy white neighborhoods where companies can make the most profit

while those without means must live miles away from any form of fresh produce

and groceries in a system of food AP part time to add insult to

injury many Urban communities must Face Down lead

and toxic chemicals in their pipes rendering their water undrinkable in short clean water

and delicious food becomes inaccessible this is unacceptable the cities of the future must

rebel against this Urban AGR capitalist design

so an end to food apartheid must be facilitated not only by free accessible

and delicious community-run food stores in every neighborhood

but also by a blanket of communal food Gardens

and Farms across the cityscape much like havanas Organo panicos

and vegetable gardens that satiate a substantial amount of the city's produce needs the

gap between the rural farm

and the urban streetcape must be crushed alongside beautiful rooftops

and Street Scapes of vegetable gardens supplemented by rural farming cooperatives physical infrastructure

and plumbing will need to be repaired

and replaced to ensure safe

and clean drinking water to every single person food

and water are basic rights they should be free

and accessible regardless of who you are what you do

or where you're from ultimately sustenance in this liberatory city should be guided by

care not profit stores bodegas

and markets will no longer exist to generate wealth

but instead function as a vital backbone for thriving neighborhoods offering themselves up

as a place not only to find food

but also with the help of communal kitchens

and dining spaces as a place for friends

and family to gather

and enjoy life and in the process food

and water become tools of solidarity

and food and water are intimately intertwined with how people

and goods move around the cities

if the food we eat is still transported via fossil fuels

and highways will fail at creating a just Urban landscape for all future cities

need to degrow gas guzzling individual Transportation methods like cars

and instead invest heavily in public transit trams buses

and the occasional electric taxi

which will all be free

and highly accessible will Pepper the urban landscape bringing people to where they need

to go quickly on time

and in a joyful manner

because rapid and efficient public transit is just step one The crucial part is

making that ride enjoyable making the subway the tram

or the electric bus a space where Community Connection is possible the bus becomes

a cafe of sorts where you feel comfortable cared for

and entertained whether that means attendance on every bus

or street car trained in mediation deescalation

and therapeutic methods or Library shelves

and reading Nooks for quiet contemplation

or galleries of local artists public transit should ultimately be about people not just

getting bodies to their jobs

as fast as possible

and a future city will mean a City without cars this inevitably means parking

lots streets and Highway interchanges become relics of the past much like the Highline

project in New York City overpasses could be turned into public parks

while streets can be retrofitted into Community Gardens pedestrian walkways

and copious amount of bike infrastructure taking your bike out to go see your

friends will no longer be a matter of life

or death but instead an experience of joy

as you speed past Farmers trees

and beautiful art peppered throughout the city within this dense web of greenery farms

and Transit lie the buildings in solar Punk

and ecosocialist cities Community Living complexes will be the norm shelter is one of

the most crucial parts of an urban space its design decides how

and where we live live local context is crucial to housing design

but there are some broad Strokes

that every building should have every new building should be completely electric

and as passive as possible employing ambient air

and thick insulated Windows to heat

and cool houses as well

as supplementing that passive design with solar panels

or even small wind turbines on the roof some buildings might shelter co-housing communities

with individualized Apartments designed for personal Aesthetics communal cooking

and Recreation spaces to bring people together at the end of the night

as well as care facilities located in the building like doctor's offices

and daycares other buildings might house just two

or three units for bigger chosen families

but crucially all of these structures are owned by the neighborhood

or the community not landlords ideally this would allow for much more autonomy for

interior and exterior design making the home a place that's not just comfortable

but also enjoyable to live in

because an ecosocialist and solar Punk City demands not just housing for everyone

but good housing for everyone

and outside the house the future city needs to Foster true Freedom Liberation this

could look like so many different things like a complete abolition of policing

and instead investing in community care

and mediation it could look like the development of green spaces

and communal activities on every city block with some parks acting

as sponges for inevitable flood events

and heat waves supercharged by climate change free museums full of artart tool sheds

free libraries of both books

and unwanted Goods there would be Community Cinema on apartment blocks

and play areas filled with trees

and activities both for children

and adults and of course all of this built environment will go unused

if we are stuck working everyday all day

so a reduction in work time is crucial production must move from creating goods

for exchange to focusing on producing materials for use

and in that process we can spend a lot less time toiling away at

the desk or the assembly line

and more time enjoying life

but this requires planning

and political transformation which is why cities will need some sort of planning apparatus

whether that's a form of federalism envisioned by the authors of half Earth socialism

direct democracy or community

and worker councils deciding what goods should be produced ultimately cities should exist to

connect us deeper to ourselves our community

and our nation natural surroundings there is no one solution to build

that city as solar Punk artists have shown every city will look vastly different

as cultures and local environments synthesize to build something new

and beautiful but at the end of the day these are just Visions to

move these imaginaries into the real space we need to struggle against the forces

working to keep our current capitalist Urban spaces unchanged we cannot simply live in

the world world of Art

and Imagination these Visions may act

as fuel for the fire

or even a light on the horizon

but we need to strike a match to actually start burning down the capitalist

structures blocking these Urban dreams

as Maria Kaa and her co-authors write in a paper on implementing degrowth Theory

into urban spaces if we don't start meshing these imaginaries with action they run

the risk of becoming yet another discourse for internal academic

and activist consumption an empty signifier

that allows us to keep our souls clean

as it were by staying clear of the political Arena thankfully we aren't starting

from square one there's been a long history of struggle within Urban centers

because as I noted earlier cities bring people together they connect the oppressed

and strengthen their power building local neighborhood

and Community power is perhaps the easiest place to start placing pressure on the

capitalism as Scholars Samuel Alexander

and Brendan gleon write it is at the household

and Community levels where people arguably have the most freedom to influence their Urban

existence in a postgrowth direction

and there are countless movements

and struggles already in motion to change the way we interact with

and live within our cities here let us return to the two cities of

Cape Town and alir alir represents a napia

that tries to wrestle free of some of the capitalist constraints placed on Imperial

core cities embracing solar Punk esque Aesthetics this city on the outskirts of Amsterdam

is peppered with housing

and green infrastructure that caters to people

and connects them with the natural world like this housing block

which employs a strategy of affordable self-built structures families

and individuals can purchase a plot for low cost

and then according to the guardian the buyer is free to customize their home

for a wide variety of different ready-made homes many designed by in-house Architects essentially

allowing for personal and Community flare

and accessibility needs to shine through in the built environment across the World in

Cape Town the Empower Shack project is attempting something similar

but for a different context it's a radical project

that struggles against the capitalist desire to cleanse slums through relocation divestment

and neglect instead of displacing thousands of residents in the informal community of kyita

the Architecture Firm Urban Think Tank together with the South African nonprofit eal Yami

are retrofitting and rebuilding existing housing the approach to this project is crucial the

Empower Shack project buildings

as Ashley Dawson rights in environmentalism From Below are designed to be built in

just one day their facades painted in distinctive colors intended to help Foster a

sense of Pride and Community engagement Dawson adds

that homes also catalyze Community Connection through interior Courtyards

and playgrounds for kids all the

while there's spacious flexibility

and inclusivity in the designs allowing residents themselves to design balconies

and semi-private spaces where residents could could plant small Urban Farms this is important

especially because Empower Shack offered construction apprenticeships to Residents allowing the community to be

front and center from initial planning to building all the way to living inside

the home importantly these buildings are also low carbon

and energy efficient as Dawson notes the building roofs are clad with solar panels

while the complex uses a graywater recycling system

and also features Treeline streets designed to cool the neighborhood this is a glimpse

of solar punk ecosocialism in the real world a project

that deeply involves residents in building

and maintaining housing that connects them to each other

and to the Natural World all

while minimizing their Reliance on fossil fuels

but we must be careful of the cooption of these movements

and Designs all too often

as these struggles and ideas scale up capitalist forces overtake

and corrupt them as Maria Kaa

and her co-authors write there's a long history history of co-optation of insurgent practices

from the 1970s Urban social movements in Berlin to the recent social Commons in

bolognia the contemporary c40s cities Network mobilizes a rhetoric

that can be interpreted

as a co-optation of degrowth principles into tools

and concepts for donut economics to avoid this co-optation ASD druif

and Maria Kaa write in another paper

that movements can avoid cooptation by setting clear goals

and clear terms of Engagement right from the beginning

and more importantly by securing non-competitive funding flows

that guarantee their independence

as well as by building a supportive network of institutional actors who do not

try to fit radical initiatives into their Frameworks

but are prepared and willing to align institutional Frameworks with more radical agendas at

the end of the day

though we can't let the fear of cooptation stop us from starting we need

to start getting our hands dirty whether that's fighting for affordable zeroc carbon housing

struggling for defunding of the police organizing your union

or battling for better public transit

and bike infrastructure those visions of a beautiful city will never be realized

if we just sit behind a computer only through action can our dreams be

realized pressure from climate movements to build more sustainable cities does seem to be

moving the needle at least a little bit like in the case of Canada

where the Ottawa government recently announced a $530 million climate adaptation fund for the

territories cities however this initiative is not without its critics both on the left

and the right which is why I've been using this video's sponsor ground news

to stay up to-date with Urban Design

and climate funding issues like these

and peer past the curtain of media bias for this story of the 34

sources ground news compiled 47% lean left

while only 18% leaned right

and if you compare the headlines you'll notice

that many of the headlines are quite similar most state

that the money will help cities adapt to climate change however with ground news's

bias comparison we can see how the contents of these articles differ for example

left leaning Outlets note the substantial Gap from requested funds

while right laning Outlets note

that these funds are barely sufficient for current needs I've been using ground news

for a long time

and appreciate how clear

and simple it makes current events ground news is a website

and app that collects over 50,000 media sources into one place

and lets you compare how headlines are being covered across the political space Spectrum

every story comes with a quick visual breakdown of the political bias factuality

and ownership of the sources reporting all backed by ratings from three Independent News

monitoring organizations the layout of ground news allows you to quickly compare headlines

and articles to see what information is emphasized

or left out I especially love the blind spot feed

which highlights stories that are disproportionately covered by one side of the political Spectrum

especially when it comes to news about climate change I think it's really important

to see what articles both sides of the political Spectrum are missing

and that's why I use ground news literally every day you can go to

ground. news/ to get 40% off their Vantage subscription

which includes a feature called my news buice it's basically a dashboard

that visualizes your news diet over time it shows your top news sources whether

you engage with different perspectives what topics you're interested in

and a lot more

so go to ground. news/ OCC

or click cck the link in the description to support an independent news platform

working to make the media landscape more transparent