Asphalt to Architecture
University of Michigan
Professor: Bryan Boyer

The act of driving was one of the defining features of the American experience through the 20th and early 21st centuries. An automobile, guided by the lone individual was, at its best, a liberating thrill of possibility as one exercised pure freedom going 90 miles an hour down the interstate, and, at its worst, a loud, “f*** you”, screamed at the moron causing a traffic jam. The year 2050 is defined by a much different experience… Instead of worrying about the traffic on the way to work, you enjoy an espresso while reading the morning news about the last glacier melting. The vehicle that was once a metaphor for your life, in which you spent a disturbing portion of your time yelling at complete strangers (sometimes the accidental family friend), is now your publicly owned chauffeur. Today the six seater City Car glides through the streets picking up your commuting neighbors for their daily office job. Stops are fewer, the ride is smoother, and it’s a whole lot easier on the pocketbook.