How visioning the future of our cities helps democratize and improve the decisions we make about it, today.

Historically, design decisions about the future of our cities were made behind a ‘closed door’; a bureaucratic process where architects, planners, and developers would gather in board rooms to scope out the practical and the possible – and when it neared finalization – show it to the public in a grand reveal.

The advent of photorealistic visualization and more broadly, ‘visioning’ of the future, has brought many more diverse voices into the conversation and has democratized the dialogue to include new designer stakeholders.

Creating opportunities for today’s decision-makers to better understand the outcome (effect) of decisions (cause) before they’re made allows for improvement - and with them, the urban fabric of our cities.

A village of protagonists need to collaborate in order to vision the unbuilt future of tomorrow.

Visualisers (companies such as Squint Opera and BINYAN), evolving from architectural assistants to storytellers use content strategy and integrated creative digital services - animation, immersive design, VR & AR to help the developer, the public, and the architect themselves, understand the impact, suitability, and aesthetic quality of the proposed design.

Often, before the architects get involved, a new breed of designers - Placemakers (a hybrid of urban planners and branding agencies such as Australia’s Frost*collective, leaders in the field), help craft the meaning, appeal, and purpose of the proposed development allowing developers a deeper understanding of how to address the needs of the end user.

This positioning flows into the marketing and communications of the project, sometime several years later, spearheaded by Branding Agencies such as London’s DNCo. Their job is to explain the benefits of the project to the end user in a way that aligns with their needs and aspirations while simplifying the complexities of the offering in a way that creates a sense of belonging.

Lendlease’s Elephant Park Image by Binyan Studios

Many developments take up to 7-10 years to progress from conception to delivery. In order to align the development with the technology and sustainability goals of the yet unknown, Futurists (such as Sérgio Brodsky) are called in to explore how commercial goals may support wider community needs and make the development withstand the test of time.

Ultimately, buildings are created for people, and people need to make decisions about which space they wish to occupy. The traditional sales process is being rapidly displaced by more technology-enabled and sometimes ‘gamified’ experiences innovated by Marketers such as Vancouver’s Bosa Properties’ Jen Riley. This marketing process is not an afterthought, but rather, a thoughtful consideration from the project’s very inception with a telling impact on the design itself.

Conveying the entire story from inception, process, to achieving the sense of belonging felt by the end user - Filmmakers (companies such as London’s Wonderhatch) use the medium of film and animation to inspire and inform.

Balfron Tower Image by Binyan Studios

For the first time ever, this global village of designers and creators will come together for an event staged in London. 

American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI) will present The 37th ASAI Conference on November 17, 2022 at Village Underground (Shoreditch) showcasing a lineup of key, world class speakers collaborating to depict our cities’ future through the theme “Cause & Effect” Newfound Visions. Transforming Decisions. 

To learn more, please visit https://asai.org/