Geneva 2061

About Geneva 2061

Geneva 2061 starts from a picture of the future and works backwards to today. Planners call this backcasting; in the Grooters, Leo calls it reverse creativity.

The picture comes from Verity’s walk through Geneva in the first Grooters book. The ideas behind it come from urban planning studies and twenty years of independent research, and each one is checked against two things: where Geneva stands today, and what other cities have already achieved. Geneva 2061 is meant to fit a vision for the whole planet, not to stand alone.

How each idea is presented

Every idea has the same structure: what Geneva looks like in 2061; one measured fact about Geneva today, with its source; places where it has already been done; how far along we are; proposed milestones; what moves it forward; the human needs it serves; open questions; and the author’s personal view, kept separate from the evidence.

How far along

Most of Geneva 2061 is a bridge to build, not a leap of faith. Each idea is placed on one of four bridges, depending on how much of the way already exists.

How far along: the bridge from Geneva today to Geneva in 2061 Four bridges of different lengths. Done somewhere is almost complete: still missing is adapting it to Geneva. Political will is two-thirds built: still missing is a decision. Engineering and scale is less than half built: still missing is money, time or technology. Research frontier has barely started: still missing is knowledge. Geneva today Geneva in 2061 Done somewhere still missing: adapt it to Geneva Political will We know how to do it still missing: a decision Engineering and scale The principle works still missing: money, time or technology Research frontier A promising idea still missing: knowledge

What moves an idea forward

In the story, Belinda changes her island through new laws. Smaranda explains change through supply and demand. Richie points out that laws alone don’t change how people think. So each idea is tagged with the forces that can move it: law, culture, investment, technology and research.

Human needs

A city exists to meet human needs. Each idea is linked to the Universal Human Needs it serves: seven groups (connection, honesty, peace, play, physical well-being, meaning and autonomy) and some eighty needs, from safety and food to belonging, beauty and purpose. The list comes from Connor and Killian, Connecting Across Differences (2012), and it also appears in the Grooters series.