Will Your City Feel Like in 60 Years? Discover How Sustainable UX Can Save Your City

Imagine a map that doesn’t just point you to the nearest bar but predicts how many beers you’ll need to survive the heat in the coming decades. That’s almost (excluding beer) the new interactive climate map for you—a digital soothsayer showing where your city’s headed temperature-wise in the next 60 years.

It’s Mother Nature’s twisted version of This is Your Life, and spoiler alert: we’re going to need more cold beer. So, grab a chilled one and settle in for a sobering look at our collective future, served straight up with no chaser.

Ready for a little road trip through tomorrow’s forecast? Buckle up.

First stop: Nashville, Tennessee, where the only thing rising faster than the temperature might be the chorus of “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.”

Nashville: Where the Heat is Rising Faster Than a Pedal Tavern on Broadway

By 2080, if we keep burning fossil fuels like there’s no tomorrow (spoiler: there is), Nashville’s going to feel like it’s been slow-roasted in a vat of hot chicken grease. We’re talking summers that are blistering 9.9°F (5.5°C) warmer and 10% wetter. Winters? They’re not off the hook either—warming up by 8.4°F (4.7°C) and getting 20.4% soggier.

In essence, Nashville’s going to start feeling a lot like Marion, Louisiana. Now, I love Louisiana, but I’m not sure Nashville signed up for this climate swap meet. Think about what this means for the soul of Music City. Those rooftop bars might need to invest in some serious misting systems. The Grand Ole Opry could become the Grand Ole Sauna. And let’s not even get started on what this means for the whiskey ageing in those charred oak barrels. The very flavour of Tennessee might be changing right under our noses.

Now let’s hop across the pond to my second favourite city in the world: Copenhagen, Denmark.

Copenhagen: From Cool and Collected to… Well, Less Cool

Ah, Copenhagen. A city so effortlessly cool it makes hipsters look like they’re trying too hard. But by 2080, this Nordic gem is going to be feeling the heat too. We’re looking at summers that are 8.4°F (4.7°C) warmer and 10.4% drier while winters warm up by 8.4°F (4.6°C) and get 16.8% wetter. Essentially, Copenhagen’s going to start feeling like Demigny, France.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with France, but when you’ve built your identity on being a Scandinavian urban utopia, suddenly feeling like you’ve been teleported to Burgundy is going to take some getting used to. Imagine the canals of Nyhavn filled with paddle boarders instead of tour boats. The famous Tivoli Gardens might need to start importing more heat-resistant plants. And those lovely bike lanes? They might need to install some shade structures to keep the cyclists from melting into the pavement.

The UX Plot Twist: Designing Our Way Out of This Mess

Let’s talk design, shall we?

As we move from understanding how our cities might change, let’s shift gears and talk about how UX design can help us navigate this new reality. You see, it’s not just about the rising temperatures or the changing landscapes—it’s about how we, as designers and leaders, respond to these challenges.

Sustainable UX is like the sous chef of the digital world—essential, often overlooked, but capable of making or breaking the entire operation. It’s about creating digital experiences that don’t just look good but do good. As I’ve discussed in my blog post Eco-Friendly UX: The Concept of Sustainable Design, sustainable UX is about designing with an eye on the environment, making sure our digital tools and experiences contribute to a greener, more resilient future. Think of it as the difference between a microwave meal and a carefully crafted dish made with locally sourced ingredients.

As our cities heat up faster than a cast iron skillet, UX designers have the chance to cook up solutions that help us adapt and, maybe, just maybe, turn down the heat a little.

The UX Menu: Serving Up Climate Solutions

Adaptive Interfaces: Imagine an app that adjusts its recommendations based on the air quality index. Bad air day? Here’s a list of indoor activities. Heatwave? Let’s find you the nearest cooling centre. For example, the MyClimate app, which provides real-time data and suggests eco-friendly actions based on the user’s location, has shown how adaptive interfaces can play a significant role in climate resilience.

Sustainable Behaviour Promotion: We’re talking about designs that make being eco-friendly as easy as ordering takeout. Want to reduce your carbon footprint? Swipe right. Consider platforms like Ecosia, a search engine that plants trees every time you use it. It’s a small action that adds up over time, making sustainability a seamless part of the user experience.

Climate Education: Picture interactive platforms that make learning about climate change as engaging as your favourite true-crime podcast. Because let’s face it, the climate crisis is the biggest whodunit of our time. The Climate Reality Project’s online courses are a perfect example—educating millions through engaging, interactive content that demystifies climate science and encourages proactive behaviour.

Urban Resilience: As Nashville and Copenhagen face their new climate realities, UX can help create digital tools for city planning that are smarter than a sommelier’s palate. Tools like the Urban Footprint software are already being used by city planners to predict and manage the impacts of climate change on urban environments.

A Call to Action: Time to Step Up to the (Hot) Plate

To all of us, this isn’t just food for thought. It’s time to cook up some real changes. Investing in sustainable practices now is like prepping your mise en place before service—it’ll save you a world of pain when things heat up.

The future painted by these climate projections isn’t a done deal, but it’s a story we need to pay attention to. It’s time to roll up our sleeves, sharpen our knives, and get to work creating a future that’s sustainable, resilient, and hopefully a few degrees cooler.

Let’s not wait for the temperature to boil over. The time to design and lead for a sustainable future is now. After all, we’re all in this kitchen together.