The document discusses how cities of the future may develop and change. It predicts that by 2050, 66% of the world's population will live in urban areas, with many mega-cities having over 10 million inhabitants. Future cities will be characterized by technology and sustainability, with smart connectivity and renewable energy enabling more efficient transportation and connected public spaces. As populations grow, there will be increasing demands for green spaces, both at ground level and through new vertical park designs in high-rise buildings. City administrations will also focus on preserving historical aspects of the urban landscape.
IE admission - Express yourself - How do you envision the city of the future?
1. How do you envision the city of the future?
Admission
2. Index
1. Introduction
2. Socio-demographic Data
3. Cities as engine of innovation
4. Online interaction
5. Transportation
6. Renewable Energy
7. Connecting suburbs
8. Parks and green areas
9. Historical consciousness
3. Introduction
One of the most fascinating questions of
today is probably how the cities of the future
will be. Day by day the world population living
in cities increases. As the world continues to
urbanize, sustainable development challenges
will be increasingly concentrated in cities,
particularly in the lower-middle-income
countries where the pace of urbanization is
fastest.
Urbanization
Problem
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4. Socio-Demographic Data
54 per cent of the world’s population was
residing in urban areas in 2014. By 2050, 66
per cent of the world’s population is projected
to be urban. Close to half of the world’s urban
dwellers reside in relatively small settlements
of less than 500,000 inhabitants, while only
around one in eight live in the 28 mega-cities
with more than 10 million inhabitants. By
2030, the world is projected to have 41 mega-
cities with more than 10 million inhabitants.
41
66% Urbanization Ratio
Mega-cities
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5. Cities as engine of innovation
Successful sustainable urbanization requires
competent, responsive and accountable
governments charged with the management
of cities and urban expansion. Indeed, cities
are the settings for social and political
change, as well as the engine of technological
innovation, environmental trends and
sustainability processes. Future cities will not
be only characterized by technology, but also
by the fact that they will be sustainable.
Sustainable
Urbanization
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6. Online interaction
In smart cities internet connectivity, the
ability to process huge amount of data,
Artificial Intelligence programs will enable an
upgrade of the nowadays’ prevalent
standard concept of city: the cities of the
future will be wholly integrated connected
environments. The concept of cities as open
and user-driven innovation ecosystems may
bridge the gap between short-term city
development priorities and longer term
technological research and experimentation.
Smart City
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7. Transportation
Public transport will be improved and will be
more efficient, as it will become the main
way for people’s everyday movements. This
will be due to the extraordinary increase in
cities’ population. Furthermore, all the
vehicles will become resource-efficient.
There will be more underground parking
spaces, since there will be less space on the
surface.
More Efficient
Transport
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8. Renewable Energy
In 2016, more than 80% of people living in
urban areas that monitor air pollution are
exposed to air quality levels that exceed the
World Health Organization (WHO) limits.
Investment in efficiency and renewable
energy is crucial for future cities, which need
to quicken their transition to cleaner and
healthier cities and shall foster a more
economically sustainable future through
improvements in productivity, investments in
renewable technology, and governmental
regulation reform.
Investment in
Efficiency and
Renewable
Energy
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9. Connecting Suburbs
The improvement in the quality and efficiency
of public transportations will make suburbs
become effective parts of the cities, since
these progresses will reduce distances
between the urban centers and the suburbs.
In this way, there will be a requalification of
peripheries and less fractured cities. An
already-existing example of this is Medellin.
Less
Fractured
Cities
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10. Parks and Green Areas
Urbanization will trigger huge challenges for
the environment. In the future, there will be
an increasing demand for parks and green
areas, as urban population will grow and
cities are expected to become less livable.
The demand for green and nature-friendly
spaces will be reflected by the new buildings’
design, as these will become real vertical
parks. The “Bosco Verticale” building, located
in Milan, is a great example of vertical parks.
Vertical Parks
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11. Historical Consciousness
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In the city of the future the administration will
preserve the past, because it is impossible to
build a bright future if there is no awareness of
the past. The past should be a reminder of the
ancient people, to avoid to commit the same
errors, to try to imitate inspirational behaviors
and to try to reach the great achievements of
the ancients.
Preservation
of the Past
