Utopia or Distopia?
On April 15, 2010, President Barack Obama announced an ambitious strategy for expanding human presence out into the solar system. On the way to Mars, the nations of the world will demonstrate solution for living in deep space indefinitely, and for building on planets. The discovery of water on the moon fundamentally changes the practical value of our nearest neighbor. After learning about where it is and how it is concentrated, we can learn to collect and purify it. And then we can use it to support human life and for rocket propellant. Now is the time to re-think the moon as a destination for human enterprise.
Photo: NASA
What could be a better study model for renewable energy – thinking about how to build a self-sustaining city on the moon may help us break free of our dependence on fossil fuels here on Earth. How about the moon as a laboratory to prepare for exploring other planets and as a new tourist destination? SHIFTboston calls on all architects, artists, landscape architects, urban designers, engineers, and anyone else who would like to tackle the question: what if – what, when – these things happen on the moon?
This competition is intended to collect and inspire. Through sources such as blogs, editorials, advertising and exhibition, SHIFTboston will promote the most radical ideas gathered in this competition. The goal is to attract greater public interest in future possibilities for human expansion into the solar system, and in elements of self-sustaining cities of the future – efficient cities – that no longer rely on fossil fuel.
The honorary recipient will receive a cash prize and present at the SHIFTboston Moon Capital Forum celebration in Boston on Thursday, October 21, 2010. The winning entry will be displayed in a new online virtual moon tourism world, in addition to a post cards series and book. All eligible entries will be promoted on the SHIFTboston blog and website and will become part of the SHIFTboston Moon Capital Exhibition.
Submission deadline is September 3, 2010. Click here for more information about the Moon Capital Competition.
