Open Source Architecture

Despite the populations of cities in the UK shrinking (which, imho, is actually about cities expanding into the countryside), the future really is urban, and we need to think about the global consequences. WorldChanging: Open Source Architecture, The Power of Collaboration: "Overall, the urbanization of the planet is a good thing, helping people struggle out of absolute poverty, increasing access to essential services like health care and education, and raising the status of (and opportunities available to) young women (and thus helping to bring down birth rates and stabilize population growth). But the sheer magnitude of urban growth -- by some estimates, two-thirds of the cityscapes that will exist by mid-century have not even been built yet -- presents dire challenges as well. Already, over a billion people make their homes in urban squatter settlements: how do we build communities to house the two billion more who are expected to live in slums by the middle of the century?"