Urban Memory in Future Cities: Cinematic Interpretations of Heritage and Identity

Abstract

The character of urban landscapes is shaped by the layers of history, memory, and cultural
identity that cities possess. Contemporary cinema often reinterprets these layers, presenting
visions of cities where heritage and collective memory are shaped by technological and
environmental changes. This paper examines how movies set in the future reconfigure urban
heritage and identity, and what these worlds reveal about our contemporary concerns with
urban development and cultural continuity. Through the analysis of Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
and The Kitchen (2023), the paper explains how architecture in those movies shows the
disappearance or transformation of cultural landscapes and urban heritage. Cinematic futures
often illustrate the contemporary anxieties about urban development, spatial inequality, and
the collapse of authentic urban identity. Through the examples and analyses provided, this
paper highlights that cinematic universes offer critical assessments of cultural heritage
preservation and the cultural continuity of cities, demonstrating how architectural and urban
discourses change within urban spaces.