Talk:WikiJournal Preprints/Sustainability Through Sci-Fi: Visions of Future Cities via Popular Media and the Hedonistic Sustainability Movement
This article has been declined for publication by the WikiJournal of Science.
It is archived here as a record. Discussion can be viewed below.
First submitted:
Declined:
Article text
QID: Q100606157
Suggested (provisional) preprint citation format:
"Sustainability Through Sci-Fi: Visions of Future Cities via Popular Media and the Hedonistic Sustainability Movement". WikiJournal Preprints. Wikidata Q100606157.
License: 
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction, provided the original author and source are credited.
Andrew Leung 
(handling editor) contact
Stephen M Fiore
Jennifer Rauch
Article information
This article has been declined for publication by the WikiJournal of Science.
It is archived here as a record. Discussion can be viewed below.
Plagiarism check[edit source]
Pass. Overlapping text were terms like "Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change" and "impacts of climate change".[1] OhanaUnitedTalk page 04:36, 14 September 2022 (UTC)
Peer review 1[edit source]
Review by Stephen Fiore 
, University of Central Florida
These assessment comments were submitted on , and refer to this previous version of the article
Thank you for the opportunity to review the manuscript Sustainability Through Sci-Fi. I enjoyed the ideas presented and the elaboration of Fiore et al.'s 2014 hedonomic sustainability framework in such a creative way. Below are a set of comments that are meant to strengthen the article.
The manuscript would benefit from the addition of tables or figures. There are a number of ideas/concepts described that can be made more clear using any appropriate artifact.
It might be worth noting that, CopenHill, the building designed by Bjarke Ingalls Group that we featured in the article, won the World Building of the Year 2021 (see https://archinect.com/news/article/150290093/big-s-copenhill-waste-to-energy-ski-slope-named-world-building-of-the-year-2021). The award description might be of use to the authors. Specifically, as was described in the award, CopenHill “vastly expands the definition (and expectation) of an energy-sector facility, featuring a ski slope, hiking trail, and green terrains on its roof, sporting the world's tallest artificial climbing wall on its vertical facade as well as hosting a rooftop bar, cross-fit area, and a viewing plateau of the city…. WAF Program Director Paul Finch praised the way CopenHill "addresses the role of architecture in the new world of recycling and zero carbon," adding: "It treats infrastructure projects in a way which makes people say 'Yes in my back yard' rather than 'no.' It encourages designers to think beyond the brief, to argue for ideas, and to ride the tides of politics and economics in the pursuit of the socially beneficial. And it reminds us that buildings can be fun!" Only when we have innovations like this, across all aspects of our lives, can we truly take on the challenges of environmental sustainability.
The authors might want to consider expanding the Fiore et al. 2x2 by making the pros and cons more explicit in the cells.
Given the use of movies/television, can you include more screenshots or images?
Is there a movie or show that can be included other than the Jetsons? There are any number of futuristic movies from which to draw – from the recent to some nearly a 100 years old. Movies such as Minority Report,, Metropolis, Fifth Element, Things to Come, all had electric vehicles. Even Woody Allen’s Sleeper showed exhaust. Other movies with other potentially relevant content include Things to Come, Tomorrowland, Just Imagine (which had floating vehicles). Logan’s Run and the movie “Her” feature hedonism in different ways. My point is that using a cartoon seems to detract from the serious treatment you are giving. And other relevant movies are available for discussion.
Generally, with the use of the appropriate artifacts (e.g., tables), the authors could consider developing more clear sets of guidelines for others to follow on this work and do even deeper analyses of other works of fiction.
War Games was not necessarily the first movie to see a connection to war and video games. Also, the best example of “unknowing actors” would be Enders Game. Related, the inclusion of America’s Army almost seems a non-sequitur. What is the point being made?
As something consider when comparing utopias and dystopias, the authors describe dystopias as low in hedonomics. But many great works of dystopian fiction paint the world more as a hidden dystopia. On the surface, everything is fine/acceptable or even ‘ideal’. Only after some layer is pulled away is the dystopia revealed. This may be too fine a point, but given that this article is bringing in fiction, this distinction seems warranted for at least some mention.
The example of the Jetsons does not seem to fit well. The exhaust seems more for cartoonish effect than something to demonstrate the use of fossil fuels. The authors are ascribing more intentionality than seems warranted. And, as noted, other movies/shows are available.
Peer review 2[edit source]
Review by Jennifer Rauch , Linfield University
These assessment comments were submitted on , and refer to this previous version of the article
This article offers a very interesting and conceptually structured analysis of how science-fiction stories resonate with climate-change attitudes. Its major shortcoming is the narrow time frame in which the three case stories were produced, 1962-1975. To make these insights relevant to today, the author must add at least a couple of stories that have been produced since 1975. Of course, the influence of these three stories on audiences has been tremendous. But this study’s purpose is not to examine popular or audience responses to sci-fi stories (it offers no evidence for that). Instead, it analyzes changes in the narratives -- in the representations of climate-change behaviors and attitudes produced by these authors. A 12-year span that's two generations ago doesn’t suffice to reach any conclusions related to collective and hedonistic approaches of 21st-century sustainability developments like BIG and Copenhill. I encourage the author to add more recent stories, then revise and resubmit. Optionally, if the author has more evidence that Bjarke Ingels was directly influenced any of these sci-fi stories, that would also help boost this article.
Editorial comments[edit source]
Comments by Andrew Leung 
,
These editorial comments were submitted on , and refer to this previous version of the article
I appreciate the work you've written to examine how sustainability is portrayed and referenced in a number of science fiction media, from TV shows (The Jetsons), movies (WarGames), to novels. This interdisciplinary linkage between media and environmental science is poorly researched and understood. Yet these media often have far greater reach to the general public than scientific documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth. In an era of rapid media consumption that is filled with misinformation and disinformation across multiple platforms, the hedonistic behaviour in the real world sometimes mirrors or even outpaces the fictional world.
I share the comments raised by both reviewers. There should be more examples from a variety of media that covers a wider year range. In particular, reviewer 1 commented that "War Games was not necessarily the first movie to see a connection to war and video games... Related, the inclusion of America’s Army almost seems a non-sequitur. What is the point being made?" Video games and game apps often include aspects of sustainability in their gameplay. These can be presented in a variety of approaches from quests, survival, resource extraction/utilization, to averting "the end of the world catastrophe". Reviewer 2 accurately described the case stories in your manuscript as being produced in the early 1960s to mid 1970s, which is missing all of the media that came as a result of the rising popularity of personal computers at home and easily accessible internet that is synonymous with the 21st century.
OhanaUnitedTalk page 17:19, 23 July 2023 (UTC)
Comments by Andrew Leung ,
These editorial comments were submitted on , and refer to this previous version of the article
Author has informed me that they were unable to continue with the revisions at this time. As such, I will decline this submission at this time. The reviwers' comments will remain on this page for future reference, should the author wishes to revisit it in the future. OhanaUnitedTalk page 18:20, 25 July 2023 (UTC)