Technology, Historical Foundations, and Sustainability in the Urban Evolution of Tomorrow’s Metropolis

Inspired by Françoise Choay’s analysis of infrastructural prosthesis, our study perceives the city as a dynamic organism in which technology acts as an essential component, generating an ‘alien’ space or a ‘non-place’. This perspective redefines the traditional urban role and time as an ‘extended present’. The analysis draws on Ernesto Nathan Rogers and Dipesh Chakrabarty’s works, exploring the connection between time, space, and a possible ‘future without us’ and calling for a critical reflection on past urban practices. Technology emerges as an agent of social transformation, highlighting the evolution of ethics over time and the importance of maintaining a link between the past and the future. The investigation focuses on ‘situated knowledge’, a key to understanding body-environment interaction, implying an analysis of material and immaterial interactions in urban evolution. The need to develop concepts related to the scale and multifunctionality of urban infrastructures is emphasised, as well as the importance of preserving the sensory and cultural aspects of the urban environment during green and digital transitions (Twin Transition). The conclusion emphasises the need for a change in the relationship between technology, nature, and society for a successful ecological and social transition, proposing a proactive view of technology as a tool to preserve, adapt and transform, embracing the idea of a sustainable metropolitan future.