The weight of the past doesn't slow the pull of the future. But cities are often so anchored in their heritage and deep stories that they can be captured by them.
Understanding when the past is an asset and when it is a barrier to future growth is critical and where futures thinking is needed - especially given the complex internal relationships between stakeholders and the residents of any city.
A recent article on a new building for the Norwegian capital ('The Oslo Solar Building'), noted it "will have parking spots for 500 bicycles, along with bike repair stations, a place to wash bikes, and a shower and a place to change. There will be 10 charging stations for electric cars, but no room for conventional cars at all."
Apart from the technical achievement, why is this a remarkable story? Norway, unlike many other countries, did not privatise its oil reserves and as a country it has reaped revenues from years of oil and gas production; enabling it to build the world's largest sovereign wealth fund - the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global - worth US$882 billion.
Despite the dependence on the North Sea oil for building its current wealth from industrial era technology, the city has not become culturally hostage to the industry.
Having powered millions of miles of internal combustion engine travel from their oil, there is perhaps a small irony in their 'FutureBuilt' program - "which is developing 50 pilot projects demonstrating the lowest possible greenhouse gas emissions."
This is not a cynical attempt at 'greenwashing' their history, but a genuine effort to look to the future and decide what parts matter for their city and country.
As talent is increasingly global, their core vision of positioning Oslo as a compact, sustainable and accessible technologically led city, would seem more compelling than the being reliant on their past - despite its remarkable success.
Original article
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3058478/this-new-office-will-have-hundreds-of-spaces-for-bikes-but-none-for-gas-cars?partner=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company%29