This is Part 7 of a 15 part Series on how I think life will look like in 100 year assuming Global Warming is in effect.  Some Parts refer back to earlier Posts in this Series.

Urban sprawl will have been a thing of the past in 100 years as it is beginning to become today.  There will only be high density and very efficient space utilized housing.  Today’s population of 7.5 billion may be perhaps 11 billion 100 years from now due to population control.  Cities will typically have 20 million inhabitants and small cities will have been abandoned due to their inability to maintain an infrastructure to deal with the onslaught of Global Warming.

The average home or microhouse will likely be about 500 sq. ft. and will be largely located 50-150 ft. underground in huge long bored tunnels to protect them from the elements in large energy-efficient communities.  There may be open space artificially light in the tunnels. It is possible for a family of two or three to live quite comfortably in such small area as exist in some communities in Sweden or apartments in Hong Kong.  Multi-utilitarian rooms with movable walls and ceiling panels exist in places such as Hong Kong and Japan where space is at a premium.  These units will be very modular and made of highly insulating and durable materials that are completely water-proof and fire-proof.  Housing units will also be fairly maintenance free.

Lighting will come from the durable and highly insulating walls, floors, and ceilings themselves instead of light fixtures and can be of any color, pattern, or intensity like from the LED screen of your TV but this light will be generated from every pixel of a luminescent material requiring almost no energy.  Images can move and change on these surfaces.  They can also become transparent or reflect light according to how they are programmed.  Music and sounds can also be produced from these surfaces.  Simply program what you want and when and where you want it.  These surfaces can also emit intense light of wavelengths from infrared to ultraviolet if necessary.  When people are out of the housing unit the unit can be automatically washed, every drop of water recycled, and the surface lighting turned to infrared to dry then ultra violet to sterilize the unit.  Heating of homes will come from hot water recirculated from the fusion power plants used for generating electricity (see Part 3 – Energy)

Windows are simply part of the walls for above ground housing which can be made clear, opaque or any color,  pattern or shape eliminating the need for window covering as well as light up at night.  Each sides of the wall panel can become opaque or emit light so the inside will be lit and the outside dark.  If one wants to read the material will appear on the walls or ceiling depending upon the position of the reader.  Same with movie and TV like entertainment.  All one needs to do is give verbal or thought commands and the material will be displayed comfortably on the appropriate surface of the room.  In principle one can make a building appear to disappear by mimicking the background.  For realism one can simply go to the Holodeck.  Doors will slide open and close automatically as in Start Trek or Walmart.

Air cooling will be provided by high-efficiency solid state heat pumps similar to some portable refrigerators today that will also serve to condense excess moisture in the air and pipe it to be collected for recycling.

Furniture will be few and simple mostly collapsible and easily folded up into the floor or into walls as needed serving multiple functions.  Beds will be enclosed to keep the occupant at their perfect comfort temperature with soothing sound/music and massaging capabilities.  No blankets are required because the temperature will be perfectly controlled for each individual even if sleeping in pairs.  The mattress will actually be of programmable material that response to ones position reducing pressure points by conforming to ones body like floating on water.  When not in use beds automatically fold into the wall or floor.  Bathrooms will be efficient and relatively small with foldout toilets and low flow high pressure surround soaper/conditioner washer showers and dryer as described in Part 4 – Water.  There will be no carpets so that everything can be easily cleaned.  Kitchens will not exist.  Only food preparation devices as described in Part 5 – Food will be available.  Some sort of Holodeck as described in Part 2 – Technology will be used for entertainment and communications.

Pneumatic like transporter devices in each housing unit will transport residents between floors or to where their bikes are stored leading to underground bicycle subways described in Part 6 – Mobility.  These transporters do not have to travel in a straight line but are like pneumatic tubes found in stores but branching in different directions under computer control.  Each transporter can carry up to perhaps two people.

List of the Parts of this series “100 Years from Now“:

1. Considerations
2. Technology
3. Energy
4. Water
5. Food
6. Mobility
7. Housing
8. Jobs and Economics
9. Socializing
10. Shopping
11. Recreation & Entertainment
12. Population Control
13. Government
14. Education
15. Crime and Security