Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Maslow developed and extended the theory to include his observations of human curiosity. His theories parallel many other theories of human developmental psychology, some of which focus on describing the stages of growth in humans. Maslow used the terms “physiological” (which we are relabeling “biological”), “safety”, and the “higher needs” of “belongingness,” “love”, “esteem”, “self-actualization” and “self-transcendence” to describe the pattern that human motivations generally move through.

“Biological/Physiological” needs are the physical requirements for human survival. If these requirements are not met, the human body cannot function and will ultimately fail. Physiological needs are thought to be the most important and they are needs that should be met first.

Part of the new covenant that Gateway-TCR has with its citizens is the rights to (and/or the guaranteed right to work for): clean air, clean fresh water, shelter & clothing, energy for warmth and cooling, healthcare, sex and mating opportunities, as well as rest & leisure.

Once these biological/physiological needs are met, we as humans move on to the next set of human needs (and rights) which cover our safety and security. Gateway-TCR and its citizens have a covenant regarding these rights as well.

How do we train the focus of the lens of our cameras on the future? Obviously, budget will force us to show sparingly pieces of the visual future we imagine. Also, we believe our cameras we will be shooting mostly at human scale in anthropometric dimensions.  Our characters will be mostly in walkable urban villages or neighborhoods. Our -50 | 0 | +50 careful futurism predicts that much will look the same in 2064 as it does in today. Just as much of St. Louis – at human scale – looks the same today as it did in 1964. That will leave a lot of city locations for us to use. This careful futurism strategy will keep our creative conceits in check and be an interesting challenge for producers, writers directors and actors.

Yes, we also have a social point of view. That is that systemic change in our economic and political systems are necessary if we are to survive the clear and present dangers of our times — global warming and biosphere destruction; the new gilded age, and the massive inequality of wealth and opportunity it imposes; corporate capitalism and the plutocracy it has created; and the destruction of our delicate representative democracy.

All the world’s a “sustainable” stage. In developing the series concept, we asked: What would it be like to live in a future more like Roddenberry’s Star Trek than Huxley’s Brave New World? What would life be like in a sustainable city? What would it be like to live in a place that practiced good old fashioned conservation of resources and at the same time developed advanced technology to do the same? A place that practiced “New World Business.”

Stories, film and television can help people bridge the gap between what is now and what is possible. Gateway: the City’s Reason envisions a future with mostly positive outcomes – where good old American optimism touches everyone. That’s the stage on which Gateway stories take place. And we think it’s a stage that citizens should see more of today.

Your ideas?

A series Bible is a reference document used by writers, directors, producers and actors for information about characters, settings and other elements of the show. In many ways, we are only beginning our research into what a sustainable city will be like in 50 years. Even so, we’ve decided to publish portions of the Gateway-TCR bible in order to share the foundations of Gateway: the City’s Reason with you. We want to describe “the stage” upon which our stories will be told and we welcome your ideas.