Insights · July 29th, 2024

Futurist Nik Badminton joins Iain Montgomery – from Challenger City Toronto – to discuss the need for human-centric, community-focused urban planning. He highlights balancing legacy systems with innovation to create resilient, vibrant cities like Toronto.

Listen in to the conversation and head over to the original link to see more.

Challenger City TO EP7: Balancing the best of tradition and big futures for city planning with Nik Badminton

There’s no use ever really speaking to just one futurist, they’re actually best when you get a few of them together, so for the next episode in the Challenger City TO series we grabbed Nik Badminton. Nik is a genuinely world leading futures thinker, speaker, sometimes consultant with a wealth of experience in helping companies and governments think about what might come to be. Our conversation with him offered a compelling look at what makes Toronto unique and what it needs to focus on in order to thrive as a true “Challenger City”.

A city with soul

Nik began by describing Toronto’s distinct character, contrasting it with other cities he has lived in, such as Vancouver. “Every time I traveled to Toronto, there was a real humanity to it, a real old-school feel,” he says. Nik appreciates the city’s diversity, noting, “There’s like two dozen languages being spoken on the streets and you can get anything you want.” This vibrant multiculturalism is a key strength of Toronto, making it feel both authentic and welcoming.

Nik observes that cities, including Toronto, are almost always built on accretive legacy systems, meaning they are layered with historical infrastructures and practices. “We’ve got this constant state of sort of finding our limits and potentially facing collapse and then finding a small way to transform how we do things,” he explains. This highlights the challenge of balancing old systems with new developments.

Knowing when to buck the trend

Nik elaborates on the idea of ‘Challenger Cities’, as urban areas that defy traditional norms and focus on human and community needs. “Challenger Cities almost need to challenge themselves to go against and buck the trend of cities built around cars and trucks,” he explains. He emphasises the importance of creating cities that are more human-centric, with a focus on rethinking food, energy, water and community systems.

He critiques the tendency to use outdated references when planning future cities, which can lead to very functional but somewhat soulless environments like Songdo in South Korea. “We use old references and templates when thinking about what future cities should be like, resulting in places that lack heart and character,” he notes. Instead, he draws inspiration from Barcelona’s approach to urban planning, highlighting their thoughtful rethinking of city dynamics. “Barcelona did a good job in taking time to rethink about the city which partially led to the superblocks, but also things like smart water and utility systems,” Nik explains.

Embracing a bit of dystopian thinking

A significant part of Nik’s work involves considering dystopian scenarios to better prepare for the future. He mentions his book, Facing Our Futures, which offers a holistic framework for understanding potential positive and dystopian futures. “No one wants to look ahead 20 years and imagine a world that’s terrible. But we have to because we’ve kind of found ourselves in 2024 in a world where for the last 300 years, it’s been based on water, energy, food, transportation, and industrialisation,” he remarks.

Nik highlights a small day to day example we’ve previously talked about of dystopia in Toronto, where “I saw one of the brand new streetcars stop, the driver hop out with a crowbar, change the gauge to go left, and then went left,” showcases the clash of new technology with outdated infrastructure.

Nik highlights the critical issues facing Toronto, such as unchecked construction leading to empty high-rises and a lack of affordable housing. “Unchecked, it just becomes a city with a lot of existing low-rise buildings being destroyed, ultra high-rise towers being built that will be half empty,” he warns. He advocates for more green spaces and community meeting areas, criticising the current emphasis on economic growth at the expense of community well-being. “We’re like the algorithmic city… need to come back to human focus,” he asserts, stressing that Toronto’s development must prioritise the city’s soul and independent spirit.

The need for strategy

Nik points out that most cities lack a comprehensive strategy that goes beyond building more infrastructure. “Most cities have no overarching city strategy or vision that goes beyond building more stuff,” he says. He warns against being distracted by big promises, such as a hyperloop project in Ohio, and emphasises the need for practical solutions that genuinely address people’s needs. Nik cautions against narrow thinking in future planning, which often results in cities copying each other’s designs. “Much futures thinking is myopic when thinking about the future,” he states. Instead, he believes Toronto should learn from other cities while maintaining its unique character. “Toronto has to be its own thing while learning from elsewhere… the positive culture clash is a real part of Toronto’s spice or flavour,” he adds.

Nik likens Toronto to a tapestry of diverse neighbourhoods, each with its own hidden gems. He praises the Michelin Guide for recognising small, high-quality restaurants across the city and not just the well known spots. “Toronto is a city of hidden gems,” he says, emphasising the importance of these unique local spots in the city’s overall character.

When asked what he would do if given control over Toronto’s future, Nik proposes a bold vision. “If I could, I would stop building new high-rise residential. I would also cap on building new industrial within the context of the city,” he states. Instead, he would focus on increasing green spaces and community areas, fostering a sense of belonging and well-being among residents. “Economic growth should be balanced with relentless community cohesion,” he asserts.

Nik concludes with a reflection on the importance of maintaining Toronto’s unique identity amidst rapid growth and development. “You almost have to dismantle the entire administration, municipal level administration from a private business perspective, and all the way down to mom and pop shops to every single neighbourhood holding itself together,” he says. Despite the challenges, Nik remains optimistic about Toronto’s potential, provided it prioritises community-focused initiatives. “Happiness comes from having space to breathe, move, and have a good time with your family and friends. It’s not just about building more high-rises, but giving people the power to express what it means to be a Torontonian.”

It’s not really about the tech

What really refreshing from speaking to futurists, is their perspective of what the future might be, and probably should be is rarely hinged around technology. Yes, it’s absolutely a piece of the puzzle, but an hour with Nik sees us spend more time emphasising the need for human-centric development and community cohesion. By learning from what other cities do really well, the challenges they’ve faced, where they might have go it wrong, and critically, focusing on what makes Toronto unique, the city can emerge as a true “Challenger City.”

I come away from the conversation with Nik in a strange mindset, on the one hand extremely positive about all the good things Toronto has going for it, while at the same time pondering the idea of the dystopian world that isn’t very far away. We must surely talk about that dystopian future more, in so much as that’s how our shiny streetcar city isn’t left clutching a crowbar to continuously reset the tracks in the desired direction.

You can learn much more about Nik and his work at www.futurist.com

About Nikolas Badminton

Nikolas Badminton is the Chief Futurist at futurist.com. He’s a world-renowned futurist speaker, consultant, author, media producer, and executive advisor that has spoken to, and worked with, over 300 of the world’s most impactful organizations and governments.

He helps shape the visions that shape impactful organizations, trillion-dollar companies, progressive governments, and 200+ billion dollar investment funds.

Nikolas Badminton’s book Facing Our Futures: How Foresight, Futures Design and Strategy Creates Prosperity and Growth has been selected for 2023 J.P. Morgan Summer Reading List, and featured as the ‘Next Gen Pick’ to inform the next generation of thinkers that lead us into our futures.

Please contact futurist speaker and consultant Nikolas Badminton to discuss your engagement.

Category
Cities Facing Our Futures
Nikolas Badminton – Chief Futurist

Nikolas Badminton

Nikolas is the Chief Futurist of the Futurist Think Tank. He is world-renowned futurist speaker, a Fellow of The RSA, and has worked with over 300 of the world’s most impactful companies to establish strategic foresight capabilities, identify trends shaping our world, help anticipate unforeseen risks, and design equitable futures for all. In his new book – ‘Facing Our Futures’ – he challenges short-term thinking and provides executives and organizations with the foundations for futures design and the tools to ignite curiosity, create a framework for futures exploration, and shift their mindset from what is to WHAT IF…

Contact Nikolas