Proclaimed by the climate scientist Paul Crutzen in the early 2000s, a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene , marks the point at which humans have altered the environment so extensively as to blur the distinction between culture and nature, inscribing ourselves into geological time. What is so striking about the declaration of this new, man-made epoch is the fact that human culture is now so powerful that the future of the planet pretty much depends on the way we operate "spaceship earth" empowerment has actually become the driver for the construction of the world. If we take the task of shaping and managing the planet seriously and proactively, the role of the architect and planner will become ever more crucial. They will be "comprehensive designers," assembling the knowledge and the forces necessary to produce the habitats of tomorrow.