Floating gardens, clean energy, and community first: Why 'solarpunk' architecture gives us climate optimism

Floating gardens, clean energy, and community first: Why 'solarpunk' architecture gives us climate optimism

Imagine floating towers teeming with lush greenery that look out over clean waterways overflowing with wildlife. As you glance down, you realize pedestrians outnumber cars — which fly on renewable energy — and people mill about in community gardens and meeting spaces as plants and solar panels alike drink in sunlight. Welcome to the dream world of a “solarpunk” city. Solarpunk is derived from cyberpunk, a genre of speculative fiction that was coined by author Bruce Bethke in 1983 with the release of his sci-fi short story of the same name, which follows a group of young rebel hackers. From there, cyberpunk spawned a slew of futuristic aesthetics, ideals, and stories. But solarpunk — a term which first sprang up online in 2008 — goes a step further than cyberpunk, and its fantastical subgenre steampunk, by encapsulating not just a style or genre, but an entire social movement. Jay Springett is the co-administrator of solarpunks.net, a website that curates articles, stories, and artwork…