The Daily Planet #19: Terraform

I keep saying whenever I get a chance:

Nothing in society makes sense except in the light of the planet.

That's a take on a famous quote by Theodosius Dobzhansky btw.

One aspect of that planetary sense-making is modeling society in metabolic terms. Today's Daily Planet is about urban metabolism. Tomorrow's and Saturday's are on geopolitical metabolism.

The Aeon essay linked here explores Terreform’s ambitious experiment, New York City (Steady) State, which investigates the potential for New York City to become fully self-reliant in critical areas such as food, waste, water, air quality, and energy.

Founded in 2006, Terreform aims to reimagine urban sustainability by balancing social, environmental, economic, and cultural factors. The project envisions transforming the city through innovations like vertical farming, urban food hubs, and repurposing existing infrastructure, all while fostering local autonomy and ecological responsibility.

Although its technically feasible to produce enough food for all residents, the energy demands pose significant challenges. Sorkin acknowledges that complete self-sufficiency is neither entirely practical nor desirable, emphasizing instead a hybrid approach that respects global interdependencies, such as importing grains and oxygen.

Ultimately, the essay argues that addressing environmental degradation and social inequality requires cities like New York to take responsibility for their own production and waste cycles, fostering not only sustainability but also conviviality and beauty.

NYC: can this city-state be completely self-reliant? | Aeon Essays

Green living in NYC need not be simple living – think skyscraper farms, meat-production towers and revamped aqueducts