Self-sufficient Cities May Hold the Key to the Future

Juan Vargas

The Pukika Experiment consists of building a self-sufficient city for 3 million people

By the end of the century, we’ll need to build urban housing for 5 billion people. This is the product of our increasing population and the current urbanisation trend. Today, there are slightly over 4 billion people living in cities, so imagine where 9 billion city dwellers would take pollution levels and the destruction of ecosystems.

A Sound Plan for a Crazy Idea is a book where I propose a social experiment that could help us overcome the challenges we face. The Pukika Experiment consists of building a self-sufficient city for 3 million people. If this development model works, it could be replicated elsewhere, potentially lifting millions—or billions—of people out of poverty, while preserving the ecosystems where they live.

Today, we think that self-sufficiency is a failed concept. I believe it’s the next step in civilization. Technology such as the Internet and 3D printing are certainly pointing that way.

To know more about Pukika, visit www.pukika.org

Featured Illustration: Juan Vargas