SIEMENS

Darkness and silence surround Li, making him feel disoriented and slightly dizzy. A young Chinese urban planner, Li remembers a warning from Shi, his project’s chief engineer and the man who developed the new urban planning center: “Close your eyes while you’re uploading the data. If you don’t, you’ll mess up my expensive laboratory.” So Li follows Shi’s advice. Slowly he regains his sense of balance. The air is warm and dry and smells rather sterile. “The program was successfully uploaded,” whispers a voice in Li’s ear. “Please open your eyes.”

A gentle breeze strokes Li’s face. There’s a faint smell of chicken soup and poultry manure in the air. The pleasantly sunny lane in which he finds himself is lined with trees, and behind them stands a row of traditional wooden houses. Old men are sitting in front of the houses, smoking and playing mahjong. A dog is barking in one of the backyards. Li strolls along the lane. He feels cracked asphalt under his feet and almost trips over one of the bumps in the roadbed. Shi’s holographic simulation is so perfect that it’s almost eerie. But that’s all right Li says to himself.

Only if even the most minute details are represented will it be possible to simulate all the effects of a construction project on this old neighborhood.

This part of the city has been somewhat neglected in recent decades, and its outdated infrastructure is no longer compatible with the rest of this hyper-modern megacity. Urban planners must be particularly careful when dealing with such rarities, because changes to traditional structures could have unforeseeable consequences.

A lone electric bicycle silently approaches Li. He instinctively steps back onto the sidewalk, where he almost collides with a young woman. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs. The girl smiles back at him. “I didn’t invest ten million yuan just to create a dating portal,” growls Shi’s voice in the background. “Believe me, she’s literally untouchable — like all the other people you’re looking at. Let’s get down to work!” Li looks around to find Shi, but he only sees an old man with a pipe between his teeth. “Computer,” Li commands. “Launch the planning program.”

Like a gigantic video game, an impressive complex of buildings rises within seconds at the end of the old lane. Gigantic mirrored blocks reflecting the sunlight pile up one by one, as though they were being stacked by an invisible hand. Li blinks. The narrow lane is plunged into blazing sunlight, and the air grows noticeably warmer. The old man with the pipe has disappeared.

“All right, Shi,” says Li. “First point of criticism. We’ve got to redesign the architecture. It’s too bright, and the ambient temperature has risen by two degrees.” He points to a temperature scale that comes into focus in the empty space. “Check,” says Shi’s voice in the background. “Now I’ll start the time-lapse scenario from ‘zero hour’ to a point two years after completion of the complex.” At breathtaking speed, the sun sets behind the buildings, night envelops the neighborhood, and the next day breaks. Clouds race across the sky and people rush along the streets. The stream of traffic is transformed into a colorful gleaming ribbon that zips right through Li.

“Stop! That’s enough!” he shouts in slight irritation. “Give me more of an overview, Shi.” The world surrounding Li abruptly starts to shrink. Suddenly he’s standing like a giant between the buildings. The highest ones barely reach his knees. Meanwhile, the street life continues at its normal pace. “It’s 9 a.m., exactly 18 months after the ribbon-cutting ceremony,” says Shi. “By the way, you don’t have to walk so carefully, you can’t damage anything here. How do you like life in the future?”

In the small lanes at Li’s feet there’s lots of traffic, with countless cars honking, searching for a gap in the traffic flow, and even blocking the narrow sidewalks. “This reminds me of the traffic situation we had 30 years ago,” he says. “We didn’t expect this. The additions have obviously made the old neighborhood much more attractive, even though we only built a new complex. Computer, show me the current rent levels.” A graphic appears in the sky. “Rents have risen considerably,” Li observes. “On the streets I can see lots more young people wearing modern clothes. It’s a clear case of gentrification.”

Next, he points to a couple of intersections. “These locations need new subway stops. The old bus line is definitely no longer sufficient. Computer, extend the subway line and restart the simulation.” Several subway stops pop out of the ground like mushrooms at the points Li has indicated, and the traffic subsequently thins out.

“Shi, zoom me back into the action,” Li requests. While Li is shrinking down to his normal size, the young woman he bumped into earlier comes out of a front door and turns toward him. “Ever since you dropped that hulk of a building on our doorstep, we get blackouts three times a week,” she complains. “And our water bill is sky-high.” Li looks at the troublesome hologram in admiration. “That’s a great idea, Shi — letting the digital locals speak up for themselves. Please show me the neighborhood’s energy flow.”

Seconds later, a detailed plan of the power grid materializes directly in front of Li’s eyes. “I’ve solved the problem,” says Shi’s voice in the background. “The neighborhood’s power grid hasn’t been renewed yet, but private traffic has increased, so too many electric vehicles are being recharged simultaneously.” Li orders the computer to set up a smart grid to stabilize the power network. “Scan the water supply network too,” he says. “I suspect that the construction of the subway has caused many small leaks. Besides, the influx of people into the neighborhood has probably also increased water demand.” The young woman flashes Li a grateful smile. “Stop flirting with my software,” Shi’s voice interrupts them. “Close your eyes, we’re going to stop now and continue tomorrow.”

When Li opens his eyes again, the little world with its smells, its old houses, and their inhabitants has disappeared. He’s standing in a stark white room. He can’t see any walls or ceiling — only a door that is opening a few meters in front of him. Shi sticks his head in, saying, “Come on, let’s go have dinner. I’ve invited someone I know to join us. I hope that’s all right with you.” As the two men walk into the restaurant, they see a young woman sitting at the bar. She gives Li a big smile. It’s the girl from the hologram.