12 of the Most Futuristic Cities in the World Today

Movies and television shows often depict a dark and bleak future. It’s usually a dystopian future where humanity is on the brink of extinction, and technology has ruined the planet. Every now and again we get a glimpse of a positive future in movies like Back to the Future II that depict a more upbeat, futuristic utopian world where humans have taken technology to the next level. Well, we don’t have to wait much longer for the city of tomorrow because it’s here today.

These extraordinary cities are all around the globe. They’re taking the world and humanity to new places. These futuristic cities focus on eco-friendly transportation with an emphasis on walking. They feature green spaces and innovative ways to collect fresh water. They’re also smart cities utilizing artificial intelligence to collect data to improve living conditions and efficiency. Futuristic cities are here to save the planet, so read on below and discover more about these smart cities. 

1. Smart Forrest City (Cancun, Mexico)

In 2019, the architecture firm Stefan Beri Architetti unveiled its plans for the futuristic Smart Forrest City. Located in Cancun, Mexico, Smart Forrest City is an eco-friendly smart city collecting data to improve efficiency, transportation, and life in general. Surrounded by agricultural fields and solar panels, the city will be self-sufficient and use renewable energy. The entrance gathers water and disperses it throughout the futuristic metropolis.

The city operates on internal electric and semi-automatic driving. The town will hold roughly 130,000 residents and will include 7.5 million trees. The city will feature green areas, private gardens, public parks, and green rooftops. 

2. Masdar City (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)

Outside of Abu Dhabi City is the world of tomorrow, Masdar City. Designed by British architectural firm Foster and Partners, Masdar is five minutes from the Abu Dhabi International Airport and only 40 minutes from Dubai. Construction began in 2008, with the first phase completed by 2010. Sadly the 2008 global financial crisis slowed the progress of the city that depends on solar energy and other sources of renewable energy, with transportation revolving around light rail and clean energy vehicles.

The design of the city includes plans for efficient water usage. It focuses on collecting rainwater and condensation and has a system to recycle water to maximize efficiency. Upon completion, the city will house 50,000 residents and 1,500 businesses. The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology is the city’s first tenant. As a hub for cleantech, Masdar features the International Renewable Energy Agency headquarters location. The current completion date for Masdar City is 2030.

3. Woven City (Tokyo, Japan)

In 2020 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Toyota announced plans to create the sustainable Woven City. “The city of the future” will sit at the foot of Mount Fuji in a former Toyota factory 60 miles from Tokyo. It’ll incorporate smart technology, robot-assisted living, and renewable energy to create a real-life atmosphere. Toyota plans to use the city to test new clean energy technology and autonomous vehicles.

The company’s scientists and researchers can take Woven City even further into the future. It’ll consist of roughly 2,000 residents composed of Toyota employees and their family members. Woven City will connect cars and people by collecting data and utilizing advanced AI technology. With 175 acres of land, the city will feature rooftop solar panels and hydrogen fuel cells. For delivery and retail, the city will utilize self-driving Toyota e-Platelets. Additionally, only autonomous and zero-emissions cars will operate in the city. 

4. Telosa (United States)

Former Wal-Mart eCommerce President Marc Lore has a vision for the ultimate futuristic city dubbed Telosa. Lore plans on building this utopian city on cheap desert land, considering Nevada, Utah, Appalachia, Idaho, Arizona, and Texas as possible locations. Lore’s metropolis of the future will feature a monumental skyscraper at the heart of the city known as the “Equitism Tower.” The tower includes a photovoltaic roof, water storage, and aeroponic farms.

One of the main goals of the smart city is to focus on eco-friendly transportation, with Telosa banning vehicles that rely on fossil fuels. Lore intends to make Telosa a 15-minute city, meaning schools, work, shopping malls, gyms, and other services are no more than a 15-minute commute. The primary forms of transportation will include autonomous electric vehicles, scooters, bicycles, and walking. 

5. Chengdu Future City (Chengdu, China)

Just outside of Chengdu, China is Future City. The Chengdu Future Science and Technology City combines futuristic designs and smart technology with the traditional countryside of China. It features several universities, offices, and laboratories. The current plan is to build the city in a rural area near the airport. The focus of the town is the eco-friendly atmosphere, with the city’s design preventing cars and traffic. Future City will be a transit hub with a sculptural rotating viewing platform, the Eye of the Future. It’s the future of tomorrow today. 

6. Oceanix City (Busan, South Korea)

Many of these futuristic cities are a response to climate change and rising sea levels. Coastal cities like Busan, South Korea, are at risk due to rising tides. The famous Haeundae Beach is in danger of disappearing by 2030. That’s why Busan is working with the Oceanix project and UN-Habitat to create the first floating city.

The ocean settlement will consist of prefabricated interconnected platforms that rise and fall with sea levels. Each platform will be a 5-acre neighborhood featuring seven-story high buildings. The proposed city will have roughly 10,000 residents living and working in the floating paradise. The eco-friendly smart city will feature leisure facilities, office space, restaurants, and farms.

The key to Oceanix City is the zero waste closed loop system. The self-sustainable floating city will produce its own food through compost gardens, communal farms, and aquaponic food-growing sites. The city will also include solar power and wind turbines for energy. Oceanix City will also produce fresh water by collecting rainwater. The hope is to have residents living in the city by 2025 using electric vehicles such as solar-powered ferries and hydrofoil water taxis to connect Oceanix City to the mainland. 

7. Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh, India) 

Near the ancient city of Dharanikota sits the capital of Andhra Pradesh, India. The government plans to create a sustainable smart city called Amaravati with lots of green areas and water. Located on the banks of the Krishna River, the eco-friendly area will feature electric cars, water taxis, and bicycle paths.

The design of the streets and shopping centers encourages walking, with the crown jewel of Amaravati being the government building featuring a 250-meter-high needle-like roof. Amaravati thrives on being the city of the future while incorporating India’s natural beauty, culture, and traditions. 

8. Maldives Floating City (Maldives) 

Climate change and rising sea levels seriously threaten coastal cities and islands around the globe. The Maldives comprises 1,190 low-lying islands making the archipelago one of the most vulnerable nations. It could even be underwater by the end of the century. The government is working alongside Dutch Docklands to create a floating city out of necessity.

Located in the Indian Ocean, work began immediately on building the floating city. They expect to have 20,000 inhabitants living in 5,000 floating units connected by canals running in between. The units are constructed in a shipyard and secured to an underwater concrete hull. The hulls are attached to the sea floor on telescopic steel stilts allowing it to rise and fall with the sea levels. The primary forms of transportation include boats, cycling, and electric scooters on the sandy roads. 

The floating city consists of schools, restaurants, and shopping malls. In addition, the city will feature rainbow-colored homes with stunning views of the waterfront. The completion date is currently 2027, but the first residents will move in around 2024.

9. Net City (Shenzhen, China)

In 2020, Shenzhen, China, unveiled plans to create a futuristic city the size of midtown Manhattan. Internet giant Tencent has plans to develop a self-sustaining smart city for its employees and their family members known as Net City. On roughly 300 acres of land, Tencent plans to build homes, schools, shopping malls, and offices.

Instead of focusing on typical cars, Net City will put pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transportation first and foremost. The large buildings will feature green-covered rooftops. The city has a strategy in place to manage flooding and runoff to create a freshwater system. Tencent hopes to complete the project in roughly seven years. 

10. BiodiverCity (Malaysia) 

Off the coast of Penang, BiodiverCity takes urban living to new places with three islands focused on biodiversity, sustainability, and livability. The eco-friendly smart city is car-free, with autonomous public transport connecting the islands by air, water, and land. This stunning utopia includes boardwalks and bicycle lanes.

BiodiverCity emphasizes green spaces, including forests, public parks, wetlands, and beaches. The islands will use renewable energy to provide enough power for the 18,000 residents. The buildings and homes will comprise recyclable materials, timber, and bamboo. 

11. The Line (Saudi Arabia) 

In Neom, Saudi Arabia, construction has already begun on the ambitious eco-friendly smart city known as The Line. Featuring two mirrored skyscrapers, it’s 170 kilometers long, looping around the Red Sea. Artificial intelligence will scan the linear city, collecting data to improve the daily way of life.

The Line comprises three levels: a surface layer for pedestrians, an underground infrastructure, and a second underground level for transportation. Incredibly the Line has no streets, cars, or carbon emissions. It’ll house roughly nine million residents creating 460,000 jobs. However, The Line also received a great deal of criticism and backlash for displacing the indigenous population and environmental concerns. 

12. Akon City (M’bour Department of Senegal)

Inspired by Black Panther, Senegalese singer Akon announced plans to construct a real-life Wakanda, Akon City. Located in the M’Bour Department of Senegal, the six billion dollar city will sit on 2,000 acres of land donated by the President of Senegal. The futuristic city will feature stunning skyscrapers, a technology hub, condominiums, shopping malls, parks, music studios, a university, Senewood productions, eco-friendly resorts, and a 5,000-bed hospital.

The Smart City will use solar power and other renewable energy. The hope is for Akon City to stimulate the local economy, with the metropolis operating on a cryptocurrency, Akoin. Initially, Akon announced phase one would complete construction in 2023, with phase two between 2024 and 2029. As of December 2022, construction has yet to begin, with Akon suggesting a 2026 completion date. Akon is currently battling several related lawsuits that could push back the deadline even further.