Urban Planning and the Metaverse

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson is a science fiction novel published in 1992. The story follows the two main characters as they live in a dystopian world where everything is digital. As described in this article, the fictional world is described as a boulevard generated by computers. The group that controls the boulevard also manages permits, zoning, buildings, parks, and advertising in the book. The spaces available are rented or bought by companies to create the digital, urban space.

To me, that doesn’t seem too far off than virtual reality today. One could pop on their VR headset and walk down a boulevard, stopping in the shops and buying products, going to a cafe to grab coffee with a friend who is using their own VR headset, or lounging in a world-class virtual park.

The article linked above asks an interesting question, who is funding these virtual spaces, and who regulates them? Will there be a new ‘type’ of planner that specializes in Virtual Reality spaces?

Check out the article and read about how the metaverse could have an impact on physical cities, virtual cities, and the planning profession. It also lists experiences that are already available via VR; concerts, visiting museums, working out.

-Jess