Ecumenopolis - All About All

Ecumenopolis

Ecumenopolis (from Greek: world city) is a word invented in 1967 by the Greek city planner Constantinos Doxiadis to represent the idea that in the future the urban areas and megalopolises would eventually fuse and there would be a single continuous world-wide city as a progression from the current urbanization and population growth trends. A world undergoing this level of hyper-development would presumably either have its food imported from other planets, or grown in vast orbital or subterranean hydroponics facilities. A civilization capable of building an ecumenopolis is almost by definition at least ranked as 1.0 on the Kardashev scale. Extrapolating the advancement of 20th century energy usage(??), urbanization will conquer the globe by 2200. However even if the requisite technology is forthcoming as predicted, cultural priorities could easily shift away from runaway urbanization in the coming centuries.

Ecumenopolis in science fiction

In science fiction, ecumenopolis planets are often the capitals of galactic empires. Examples of ecumenopolises in science fiction include:

• Trantor from the Foundation series of Isaac Asimov.
• Coruscant from Star Wars.
• Earth, glimpsed at in a timeline altered by the Borg in Star Trek: First Contact.
• Denon, Nar Shaddaa, and Taris from the Star Wars Expanded Universe.
• Holy Terra, along with many of the Hive Worlds, from Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe.
• Tau Ceti Center from Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos.
• Ravnica from Magic: The Gathering.

See also

• Arcology
• Megalopolis
• Metropolis
• Megastructure