How the metaverse might alter the function and character of cities

Apple and Microsoft are two businesses that believe at least some of tomorrow's world will take place in the metaverse. In order to achieve this, Microsoft just paid US$68.7 billion to acquire the industry titan Activision Blizzard.

We believe it is time to think about how this may ultimately play out as more and more of our daily activities move online. If city dwellers of the future prefer the metaverse to physical stores and other urban amenities, what will this mean for cities and what functions will cities ultimately serve?

We explore this issue and consider how the metaverse can significantly alter our interactions with urban environments as professors in the departments of urban environment and digital culture. Although this scenario may seem extremely dismal, let's take this chance to speculate about how the cities of the future might appear.

Reality and science fiction coexist

The term metaverse does not come from the fields of science and technology, but rather from science fiction. Neal Stephenson coined the term in 1992, in his novel Snow Crash to designate a dystopian virtual urban environment.

Stephenson’s metaverse is depicted as a very long boulevard generated by powerful computers. It is controlled by the Global Multimedia Protocol Group, which manages building permits, regulates zoning and delimits the boundaries of businesses, parks and advertising spaces. These spaces, rented or bought by large corporations, make the metaverse a virtual urban environment entirely controlled by private interests, those of the digital technology giants.

urban surroundings in virtual reality: don your helmet

Science fiction components are currently offering us a peek of the new realities and new urban difficulties to come, thirty years after the publication of Stephenson's book. What good are the enormous sums of money we are currently investing in making our cities more livable, egalitarian, and sustainable if future residents will only have a virtual experience of the city?

Starting with social activities, let's move on. Numerous metropolitan attractions like theatres, dining establishments, museums, and historical sites will experience a decline in the number of visitors coming through their doors. Several museums are already accessible virtually.

The infrastructure, resources, and acreage required to house the computer servers that power the metaverse will increase as it expands. Although the experiences are virtual, their real and rising costs in terms of money, energy, and the environment are.

Will funds come from resources that were previously earmarked for infrastructure and urban areas? Will our governments begin investing in the land and infrastructure of these cutting-edge virtual cities, as Saudi Arabia and South Korea have done?

Other social activities, like drinking a beer or coffee with friends, may move online in the upcoming years. In addition to removing the limitations of distance and lowering our reliance on urban transportation, virtual meetings will also let us choose a venue for a meeting anywhere on the "planet."

For instance, a Super Bowl party in augmented reality could take the place of celebrations over a morning coffee with coworkers in the Eiffel Tower's virtual garden. With the option to switch between several camera perspectives with a wave of the hand, it would be comparable to having sideline seats.

With its HoloLens augmented reality helmet, Microsoft has already provided a glimpse of this future athletic event. The helmet not only makes viewers feel as though they are in the stadium, it also enables them to use hand signals to communicate with the screen.

Urban excursions in virtual reality

Will the social aspects of browsing malls, which have already been virtualized by online purchasing, return in the metaverse? Many businesses, including Samsung and Nike, who have opened stores in the metaverse, hold this belief. And in December, the apparel line Ralph Lauren debuted a digital line in the immersive Roblox universe.

Though it might seem premature or even a little far-fetched to envision a time when social interactions take place in the metaverse, the transformation has already begun. The Sundance Film Festival is one significant event that has already moved to virtual settings, and singers like Ariana Grande, J. Balvin, and Travis Scott are giving virtual performances. In 2020, Scott's concert, which was broadcast on the video gaming platform Fortnite, drew more over 12.3 million viewers.

Additionally, more and more physical activities are being done digitally. Without the difficulty of needing to travel to Europe, businesses like Peloton now provide bike rides comparable to the Tour de France and the Giro. From 1.9 million users in 2019 to 5.9 million users in 2021, their popularity has increased dramatically.

Another example is the business Tempo, which offers in-home workouts with a virtual personal trainer using artificial intelligence.