Rashid's Blog: A Place for Inquisitive Souls

It was year 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of humanity was living in urban areas.Now, there are pros and cons of this phenomenon. Perhaps the most remarkable observation about this trend is the speed at which it has happened: as recently as 1900 urban areas accounted for 13% of the global population. Towns and cities are seen as the crucibles of opportunity for many rural dwellers. The United nations estimates that by 2030 urban areas will host 60% of the world’s population – up from 54.5% in 2016 – with the pace of urban growth especially rapid across Africa and parts of Asia. Urban areas are home to more than 470m people in Africa, accounting for 40% of the continent’s population, up from 14% in the middle of the 20th century.

Growing Urban Systems

In 2016 there were 512 cities around the world with at least 1m inhabitants, more than 100 of which were in China. By 2030 this number is set to rise to 660, with around 40 being categorised as mega-cities home to more than 10m inhabitants, including Bogotá, Bangkok, Dar es Salaam and Ho Chi Minh City. All cities, even those in prosperous and stable countries, face challenges, from providing adequate housing, sanitation, transport and energy, to combating pollution and inequality. These issues are often magnified in emerging countries, where limited resources and weak institutions can struggle to cope with eventualities such as waves of migrants or the effects of climate change. Nonetheless, opportunities abound for authorities and the construction industry to create urban areas that are sustainable, dynamic, healthy and safe.

The City was an innovation and at this hour  it need innovations , and they are coming up fast. Here are some noteworthy Innovations:

• Tech & Project Management
• Building Innovations
• Smart Cities  
• Digitising Urbanisation
• Managing Sprawl
• Green Buildings
• Moving Urbanisation to Sea
• Green Infrastructure

The city is built layer by layer and there innovations should be incorporated in each layer.

Link(s) and Source(s):

Oxford Business Group

City Trio Vision

My Future City

Quadrant City