Future Lab

27-09-2020

What if… …robots take over healthcare? …your supermarket shares your shopping list with your health insurance? …our health insurers have access to our DNA profiles? …the sea level rises a few meters? …drones scan the city for unexpected movements?

For the Future Lab course, I have been hired for a trend study in the domain of education. The organization that has contracted us is the National Education Museum in Dordrecht. Here, we will analyze a few trends through research. From these trends, a main question will emerge, which I will answer with the help of sub-questions.

Main Question: Which technological trends are currently influencing education and will make it different in 2050?

From the entire research and design process, I crafted a future world and developed a vision and advice for the organization in my domain. I presented the entirety during an exhibition at the end of the course.

What is the effect on a growing city when all educational institutions receive unlimited funding?

Trends:

  1. Urbanization
  2. Increase in subsidies for educational institutions
  3. Agglomeration

Synopsis – Metropolis Greater Amsterdam 2050 – People from all over Europe are flocking to the Netherlands to settle in the largest city in Europe called “Greater Amsterdam.” Due to agglomeration, the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht have merged into one large city. All subsidies for educational institutions have been increased, earning Greater Amsterdam the title of the city of education.

Due to the continual increase in city dwellers, Greater Amsterdam is compelled to build upwards for housing. In the upper part of the city, the wealthiest and most highly educated people reside, while workers and those with lower education levels live at the bottom, even underground.

Residential areas and new educational institutions continue to emerge, leading to the disappearance of health and recreational facilities. Jobs are replaced by robots, and the transport of goods is so advanced that it takes only 3 hours to receive an order from China.

This story revolves around Ivan, a 14-year-old boy full of ambitions to rise from the depths. Ivan was born 30 floors below ground level in Greater Amsterdam. Alongside his father, Ivan gathers enough money to enroll in a study test that low-educated individuals can take every 5 years. This test determines if he is smart enough to continue studying above ground. During his preparation for the test, Ivan must first overcome his greatest fears.