AUDI urban future award 2012

boswash: shareway 2030/USA

the AUDI urban future initiative award 2012 curated by stylepark is characterized by its holistic view of mobility in cities of the future.
the event tackled diverse subjects such as ecology, and energy, traffic and transport, migratory flows and population explosions,
digital communication and the dynamics of the economy. five architect firms were chosen to look at these issues in major metropolitan areas
around the world. the teams were given the task of analyzing the greatest challenges of transportation in their own growing region and
deriving visions for the year 2030.

the award focuses on specific scenarios in five metropolitan areas: boston/washington, d.c., istanbul, mumbai, pearl river delta and sao paulo.
challenged with regional and cultural characteristics such as population growth and environmental degradation to an insatiable demand
for information and communication the proposals rethink urban mobility, and the infrastructure that supports it,
in order to project and promote a sustainable future.

but why is a car company looking for sustainable solutions in mobility?
aren’t alternative means of transportation other than a car an end for them in the industry?
well AUDI has prided itself in seeking dialogue with the thinker’s and planners of tomorrow to understand the relationship individuals
will have with piloted driving and public transportation. by pushing this dialogue forward it engages research and
strategic planning for the challenges facing the automobile.

a discourse is created which brings to the surface questions like:
what characteristics will the car of the future need in order to show its worth as a team player?
what does it mean for a vehicle to become an interface, to communicate with neighboring buildings and people on the street?
what challenges does this imply for cities, the design of streets, offices and homes– and above all for the people who will live and work in
dynamic new communities?

through this investigation AUDI is able to hedge their prospective planning in the industry and predict what type of infrastructure
is needed for a the future mobile vehicle. opportunities can be developed into a holistic masterplan for these megacities and
tailor their customer relations accordingly.

big dig, boston, USA
image © höweler + yoon architecture

targeting a population of 53 million people and one-third of the country’s gross domestic product, boswah is a megalopolis spanning from boston to washington d.c.
the megacity region is defined by sprawling networks of suburbs, exurbs and high-density urban corridors. constructed from outdated areas,
obsolete infrastructures and is where traditional notions of the city are left behind.

‘shareway 2030’ is a speculative vision of the near future based on the projections of the contemporary condition by höweler + yoon architecture.
it is based on the trends that our society is looking towards with regards to a shift from from ownership to membership; from artifact to access.
the proposal uses the existing public infrastructure networks and builds on top of them to produce new transportation schemes, creating a hybridized corridor.

image © höweler + yoon architecture

shareway in the city
image © höweler + yoon architecture

shareway on the platform
image © höweler + yoon architecture

farm share
image © höweler + yoon architecture

höweler+yoon architecture, boston-washington, USA
image © AUDI urban future initiative

são paulo, brazil
image © urban-think tank

rapid urbanization throughout são paulo’s greater metropolitan region have created a condition which established rigid systems of mobility where are no longer effective.
the government investment has been geared toward the growth of an extensive car infrastructure, a trend that has affected investments into alternative modes
of mass transit and resulted in current issues of congestion and system limitations.

urban-think tank explores new modes and pathways of transport by negotiating a balance in space and pace within the city. by examining the current programs
in both the favelas and downtown areas, new spatial possibilities and ways of bridging these zones can come into fruition.
hubs can serve as access and connection points through multi-scalar programs can be developed organically based on the needs of the community.
mobile apps suggest routes based on user-customized territorial reference points to encourage chance encounters and foster new relationships.

street vendors
image © urban-think tank

urban parangole
image © urban-think tank

mobile village
image © urban-think tank

urban-think tank, são paulo, brazil
image © AUDI urban future initiative

mumbai, india
image © crit

mumbai has become a city of entrepreneurial agents who facilitate the production of goods and services within these new and fragmented conditions.
the speed of the city has intensified in terms of both movement and transformation pushing the urban environment to new levels of intensity and stress.
where projected visions often oscillate between two singular ideas: high-tech utopias and post-apocalytic ruins leaving the growing metropolis in a constant site of perpetual renovation.

collective research initiative trust (crit) explored the notion of speed, taking the idea of mobility beyond transportation, looking at aspects of access,
migration, gentrification, class movement and physical transformation of cities. it takes the city as a constant evolving organism
and grows around its inherit complexities. it blurs the lines of where one transaction begins and where the other ends.

mumbai, india
image © crit

skywalk
image © crit

crit, mumbai, india
image © AUDI urban future initiative

pearl delta river
image © node architecture & urbanism

located in southern china, the pearl river delta is focused on massive industry, which is supported by massive mobility infrastructure.
the result of these investments have contributed to the country’s economic boom, while also bringing new demands for industrial transformation,
sustainable development, social and spatial change in its cities.

node architecture and urbanism investigated opportunities within the existing types of infrastructure in the pearl river delta,
and refine them in relation to the mobility of goods and people. the goal is to seek new sets of identities in its ‘post-sweatshop’ era.
new routes are explored to create a better life for all its citizens, while acknowledging the fragmented, changing and uncertain nature of the megalopolis.

atmosphere
image © node architecture & urbanism

node architecture & urbanism, pearl river delta, china
image © AUDI urban future initiative

image © AUDI urban future initiative

istanbul, turkey
image © mete yurdaün

istanbul is a city in transition, with half-forgotten traditions, borrowed experiences, cutting-edge developments, fading and emerging practices,
it is a mixture about to crystallize. with some fifteen million people occupying an area spanning 115 kilometers, its potential for equitable social,
technological and urban change hangs in the balance.

superpool‘s focus is nurturing istanbul’s vibrant neighborhood communities during the city’s next phase of construction.
their interest is attentive to the micro scale of the person and the family. it emerges technologies to create a potential for a more democratic urban experience.
‘PARK’ is an online tool that organizes your schedule via a city map allowing one to see what types of transportation are available.
it encourages you to be efficient by giving you points based on the types of shared transportation freeing up the public space from parked cars.

neighborhood perspective
image © superpool

gumussuyu
image © superpool

street view
image © superpool

street view
image © superpool

exhibition
image © AUDI urban future initiative

image © AUDI urban future initiative

image © AUDI urban future initiative

scribble kick off AUDI urban future award conference
image © AUDI AG