How will the cities of the future thrive?

By 2050, 70% of the global population will be living in cities, potentially creating strain, demand and risk, but also enormous economic, technological and societal growth. Cities will be responsible for consuming a majority of the world’s resources and for emitting most of its greenhouse gas emissions. As social demands, mobility and the climate all continue to change, the cities of the future will need to be cleaner, greener, more resilient and more liveable.

Future cities will undergo many changes and face different thematic challenges, all of which will demand holistic, integrated solutions.

the sharing economy will reduce the need for car ownership and citizens will move around cities in a more efficient and easy manner

As the Internet of Things becomes more affordable more easily implemented, cities will become smarter. They will need to address how they can use their ever-increasing amounts of data, to benefit public services and citizens’ needs.

Energy will be greener and more sustainable, as more and more buildings and households move to renewable energy, which they can trade and share on a hyper-local level.

Mobility will evolve, as vehicles become more autonomous and clean, the sharing economy will reduce the need for car ownership and citizens will move around cities in a more efficient and easy manner.

As mobility improves and the number of cars on the road reduces, the need for such wide, multi-lane roads will also reduce, leaving more space (from parking, narrower roads and roundabouts) that can allow for further sustainable growth of the city, making cities more liveable or resilient, for example, by preserving and installing green infrastructure such as parks and trees.

The World Economic Forum has published their vision for future cities. What’s clear is that it will need serious cross-cluster collaboration and integration.

At Bax & Company we are working towards integrating domains and disciplines, applying novel concepts for investments and policies to deliver more liveable, safe and prosperous future cities.

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