A century from now we might be metaphorically drowning in excess energy (e.g. instances of negative energy costs) due for example to the TW Solar installs being planned.
In such a scenario, there are wild things you could imagine from a materials and construction side that could plummet building costs.
Additionally, if 2D agriculture is ever disrupted, we would recover a lot of land (ever driven across me NE?).
Don’t forget, we can fit 2x the global population in a city the size of Texas with a typical city population density.
There def is some materials science innovation going on.
I think the most exciting thing is Mass Timber buildings which have enabled the development of taller wood buildings. In British Columbia the new building code will enable Mass Timber buildings up to 12 stories.
I'm not sure if Mass Timber will enable cheaper, faster (and thus hopefully more affordable) development, but I certainly do know that it will emit lower CO2 than concrete and steel, and so it's a positive change there in the context of pushing back against climate change.
In such a scenario, there are wild things you could imagine from a materials and construction side that could plummet building costs.
Additionally, if 2D agriculture is ever disrupted, we would recover a lot of land (ever driven across me NE?).
Don’t forget, we can fit 2x the global population in a city the size of Texas with a typical city population density.