PLANET CITY

A City for 10 billion people, the entire population of the earth

where we surrender the rest of the world to a global scaled wilderness and the return of stolen lands.

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As a consequence of hundreds of years of colonisation, globalisation and never-ending economic extraction we have remade the world from the scale of the cell to the tectonic plate. But what if we radically reversed this planetary sprawl and retreated from our vast network of cities into one hyper-dense metropolis housing the entire population of the earth?

Planet City is a film, VR experience and book set in an imaginary city for 10 billion people, the entire population of the earth, where we surrender the rest of the world to a global scaled wilderness and the return of stolen lands. The film follows a continuous festival procession dancing through the city on a 365 day loop. Each day it intersects with a different carnival, culture and celebration, changing the beat as it goes, endlessly cycling through new colors, costumes and cacophonies. Designed and directed by speculative architect Liam Young the film also features costumes developed in collaboration with Ane Crabtree, costume designer of Handmaid’s Tale and Westworld and an original score by acclaimed electronic producer Forest Swords with vocals by Tunisian signer songwriter Emel, known for her protest song Kelmti Horra which became an anthem for the Arab spring.

Planet City is a speculative fiction grounded in statistical analysis, research and traditional knowledge. It is a collaborative work of multiple voices and cultures supported by an international team of acclaimed environmental scientists, theorists and advisors. This is a fiction shaped like a city. Planet City is simultaneously an extraordinary image of tomorrow and an urgent examination of the environmental questions facing us today.

PLANET CITY — TED Talk