Dezeen hosted an online talk exploring the work of creatives and scientists who are reimagining the planet to coincide with our Redesign the World competition in partnership with Epic Games.

Titled Why redesign the world?, the talk explored why architects and designers are increasingly looking to remodel the world in a bid to address pressing concerns such as climate change, habitat loss and human overpopulation.

Moderated by Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs, the talk brought together experts with backgrounds in architecture, film, science and technology to explore why we need radical proposals to rethink the planet.

The talk also explored what role technology will play in reimagining the world.

Fairs was joined by creative director and production designer Alex McDowell, speculative architect and filmmaker Liam Young, geographer and environmental social scientist Holly Jean Buck, and Belinda Ercan, Twinmotion product marketing manager at Epic Games.

Alex McDowell is a creative director, production designer, professor and world builder.

He has worked as a production designer in entertainment media since 1980, including on films such as Fight Club and Minority Report.

He is also co-founder of Experimental Design Studio, director of the World Building Institute and the USC World Building Media Lab, and professor of cinematic practice at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Media Arts + Practice.

Holly Jean Buck is a geographer and environmental social scientist focusing on how emerging technologies can help address environmental challenges and build a regenerative society.

Buck is an assistant professor of environment and sustainability at the University at Buffalo in New York and author of After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair and Restoration, as well as Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero is Not Enough.

Liam Young, who describes himself as a speculative architect, is the co-founder of urban futures think tank Tomorrow's Thoughts Today, which operates at the intersection of design, fiction and futures.

Young has created an animated short film called Planet City, in which he proposes the entire population of the earth could be housed in a giant sustainable metropolis to free up the rest of the earth for rewilding and the return of stolen lands.

Ercan is a ​​product marketing manager for Twinmotion at Epic Games.

She has a master's degree in architecture and digital design, with a focus on 3D visualisation, and has previously worked as a visualiser for HLM Architects and visualisation product manager at Graphisoft.

The talk coincided with Dezeen's Redesign the World competition, in partnership with Epic Games, which calls for radical proposals to rethink planet Earth.

Entrants must produce a 3D visualisation of their concepts using Twinmotion, submitting a video animation and still image of their concept, along with up to 500 words of text about their proposal.

Dezeen previously hosted an online workshop on how to use Twinmotion to help participants with their entries, as well as a talk about how game engines are transforming architecture.

The competition is open for entries until 15 September 2021. See the brief and entry criteria for details of how to enter.