Well Housed - a 2050 novel - Paperback

by Judy Backhouse (Author)

It is 2050 and Johannesburg, South Africa, is the city that got it right. With no private cars, green spaces abound. Universal basic income and guaranteed housing leave people free to enjoy excellent public facilities. Peons (smarter than smartphones) and AI administrators run the city skilfully.

But success has a drawback: everyone wants to live in the golden city.

Thulisile Duma runs the Housing office which must accommodate arrivals in line with the city's standards. They plan to densify the last remaining pockets of entrenched privilege: twelve leafy northern suburbs. How will Thuli and her colleagues convince the residents of those elegant enclaves to cooperate?

In the ensuing contention the brilliant data analyst, Oliver Dias, must investigate allegations that the peons are lying. What he learns raises a difficult moral dilemma.

This cosy thought experiment previsions the workings of a benevolent city administration - a collaboration of people and machines dedicated to long-term human wellbeing.