What will Washington look like in 100 years? Will the White House of 2108 be heated by pocket-sized cold fusion reactors? Will Potomac tidal currents light the Capitol? Or will the entire city be underwater, forcing the creation of a virtual capital to run our nation’s government?

A design competition tomorrow at Union Station – City of the Future: A Design and Engineering Challenge – poses these questions. Eight design teams, most from the metro area, will offer their visions for the future of our city. Ideas will range from the practical to the outlandish, addressing issues ranging from transportation to environmental concerns to infrastructure.

Last year, design teams in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles mused on the futures of their cities. The events were so successful that the event’s sponsors – the History Channel, Infiniti, IBM, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE) – decided to hold competitions in San Francisco, Atlanta and Washington this year.

Photo courtesy The History Channel