MOVUM
a neo-nomadic social network
Approach
Future Thinking
Speculative Design
Transformation
Output
Scenario
Artifacts
Future System
Time
3 Month
Context
What if we don't do enough today to restrain the climate crisis? Will we say goodbye to our privileged, sedentary lifestyle? Studies from IPCC show that by 2100, an estimated global warming of 2.6° - 4.8°C with reduction and displacement of livable land as a consequence. – Without radical transformation, tipping points lead to uncontrolled conflicts and adaptations.
With design futuring, the project takes a critical look at Western wealth. A speculative future scenario for 2052, right in the middle of the climate crisis, describes a nomadic social system with a new understanding of values and norms. – Movum wants to motivate society through emotions, to rethink the way of living in a manner that is not aimed at the individual only .
How might we
initiate a critical debate to draw attention to the future effects of the climate crisis for Europeans?
Challenge
The start of this case study was the call for projects for the New European Bauhaus Initiative by the EU. The ever-increasing number of climate refugees has been a crucial trigger for the project. The question was how to communicate futures to people, which show the consequences of the climate tipping points with an emotional link and make causal relationships in the big picture tangible. Due to the constant migration of humans caused by the climate crisis, changes in everyday life, infrastructure and resources will be necessary in the future.
The projected geographical shift of the human temperature niche. The Map shows the shift from today to 2070 by NASA.
How might we
form an alternative social system caused by climate shifts in 2052?
Design futuring methods created an understanding of tomorrow's challenges.
Approach
Initially, present trends were scanned to question current developments. The scanning revealed that sustainable, cooperative and responsible actions will increase at the socio-economic level. For the socio-ecological part, water scarcity, climate conflicts, and overpopulation will challenge society and politics due to climate change. With design futuring methods, the team created hypotheses based on the finding trends and tested concepts for plausibility, with the factors of minimalism and decentralization. The key insights led to narratives and let the team build a disruptive future scenario in 2052, explained with artifacts.
Result
The systematic and deliberate combination of signals, assumptions and trends created Movum, the neo-nomadic social system for 2052. The world of the people comprises three artifacts that build on each other, the fluid network, the pop-up cities and the individual everyday object Ovu.
The scenario, narrated by the story character Marlon, generates an emotional connection and a deep understanding of everyday life determined by movement. – People align themselves with a sense of values for minimalism and a circular economy.
What if
humans are constantly on the move and cities have to be constructed and deconstructed in response to climate disasters?
What if
the climate crisis as a dystopia changes accustomed systems and the neo-nomadic social system could be the preferred utopia?
Network
A technocratic network consists of moving cities interconnected by their exchanges.
Pop-Up City
Combining modular, minimalistic spaces results in circular, self-supplying and eco-logical cities.
Ovu
The personal everyday object can be metaphorically called a Swiss army knife. A hard shell gives functional infos, and the softcore represents emotional qualities.
Lights
The three parts are connected by green or red lights, which show when it is necessary to move on due to climatic catastrophes.
Learnings
