Exploring the future of urban death: speculative design and the concept of necropolis 4.0
Author
Faculty Advisor
Date
2025
Keywords
urban future, speculative design, TOPSIS, necropolis, emerging technologies, design innovation
Abstract (summary)
As urban areas rapidly expand, they grapple with multifaceted issues such as population growth, climate change, land shortage, resource constraints, and social inequalities. Proactive planning for the future is essential to foster the development of sustainable and resilient cities capable of adapting to evolving needs. One such needs is designing for death in the urban future, given the outdated, polluting, cumbersome, and unsustainable methods currently in use. Drawing inspiration from theories of social space, hybrid space, and the historical concept of the necropolis, while integrating technological advancements such as extended reality, super artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biodegradable materials, and Web 4.0, this study aims to reimagine the design for death in the urban future through three alternative scenarios. Integrating technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution into speculative design approach, experts' evaluation identifies Necropolis 4.0 as the closest scenario to the ideal solution. Findings serve a dual purpose. First, focusing on Necropolis 4.0, establishes a nature-human-machine relationship and paves the way for designers, planners, and policymakers to envision a novel, green, and sustainable design for death in the urban future. Second, methodological contribution of this research enhances the way we use speculative design approach in urban planning.
Publication Information
Baradaran Rahimi, F. (2025). Exploring the future of urban death: Speculative design and the concept of necropolis 4.0. Cities, 161, Article 105859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.105859
Notes
Item Type
Article
Language
Rights
All Rights Reserved