The First City on Mars

Justin B Hollander Springer £24.99 PB

“There will be towns and then cities on Earth’s Moon and on Mars sooner than you think,” predicts Hollander in this fantastic book on engineering a future for humans on Mars. And if that’s true, he argues, there is much to consider to ensure the survival of our future interplanetary citizens.

The First City on Mars is a book about space architecture in the context of planning cities on a planet with 38 per cent of Earth’s gravity and a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide. Such environments require new perspectives in urban planning, theorises Hollander, to ensure the survival of thriving communities living in such inhospitable environments. Drawing on lessons learned from older civilisations and their urban planning methods, the author lays out past and present habitat designs for off-Earth living.

He draws on the experiences of extreme environment communities on Earth, such as the Antarctic. There’s an interesting summary of Moon exploration ,and recent lunar habitat and building design proposals; his review of the imaginative and futuristic designs of off-world city layouts as detailed by the O’Neill cylinder and Bernal sphere space settlements is particularly appealing. The final chapters summarise key findings from the extensive research previously presented, and Hollander proposes a compelling and enticing city design for Mars.

The book is well-written, clear and concise, supported with impactful visual content and imagery. Perhaps most importantly, it has universal appeal beyond that of engineering or architecture specialisms. Hollander makes a strong argument to dream big and plan now for a future in the first Mars city. ★★★★★

Niamh Shaw is an engineer and science communicator