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Future of Cities: Reports and resources
For those looking at industry futures, we have compiled some of the more interesting and useful recent free, no registration reports available on the future of cities.
| Report Name | Organisation | Pub Date | Geography | Pages | Overview |
| Thriving amid turbulence: Imagining the cities of the future | McKinsey & Company | October 2018 | Global | 2800 words | This discussion paper explores four major forces shaping today’s cities—from resource stresses to increasing internationalization—and lays out a 14-point vision for thriving cities of the future. |
| Future of cities | Quartz | September 2018 | Global | 4800 words | Six essays on the future of cities written by some of the world’s leading thinkers and creators. |
| Future Cities: Planning for our growing population | Infrastructure Australia | February 2018 | Australia | 16 | Three possible scenarios for future cities in Australia. The cities of Melbourne and Sydney are used as examples. The report tries to provide an insight into how Australia’s largest cities might grow, and the outcomes delivered by different land-use, employment, and infrastructure decisions. |
| Future of UK Cities: Three contrasting scenarios | Government Office for Science | March 2016 | UK | 16 | Three national scenarios were developed as contrasting versions of the future of the UK’s city system: ‘Major cities empowerment’, ‘London-centric’, and ‘Smaller cities focus’. |
| Future Cities Dialogue: A project investigating urban system integration in the UK | Forum for the Future, Innovate UK, Sciencewise and Ipsos MORI | March 2017 | UK | 46 | Three visions for the future regarding the infrastructure and systems integration of UK cities by the year 2040. |
| Inspiring Future Cities & Urban Services: Shaping the Future of Urban Development & Services Initiative | World Economic Forum | April 2016 | Global | 60 | Report on the global urban issues and challenges, triggers and enablers for urban transformation, and a 10-step action plan is provided to help city authorities navigate the journey of urban transformation. |
| Global scenarios of urban density and its impacts on building energy use through 2050 | Texas A∓M University | January 2017 | Global | 6 | The primary goals in this study are to develop possible scenarios of future urbanization, using urban population density as the metric, and to estimate the energy implications of these different urban futures. |
| Future of Cities Report 2017 | Future Agenda Limited | June 2017 | Global | 52 | This report shares the findings from this Future of Cities Open Foresight research project. It identifies and discusses some common challenges found in most urban areas today, and also explores several shared ambitions to create more healthy, accessible and intelligent cities. |
| Future Energy Scenarios for African Cities Unlocking Opportunities for Climate Responsive Development | European Union Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility | April 2017 | Africa | 110 | This study contains: – an analysis of the main megatrends that will shape the future of African cities; – four alternative scenarios of African cities until 2050 with a focus on the implications for energy; – recommended areas for action for decision makers including policy makers, the private sector, civil society and the donor community. |
| Perspective input into the World Energy Council Scenarios: ‘Innovating Urban Energy’ | World Energy Council/ Arup | October 2016 | Global | 36 | This Perspective Paper selects five emerging urban energy innovations which hold the potential to substantially steer transition of the energy agenda in our cities, towns and smaller conurbations. |
| The Future of Vertical Mobility | Porsche Consulting | March 2018 | Global | 36 | Estimates for the year 2035 regarding vertical transportation (flying cars and cities). |
| An integrated perspective on the future of mobility | McKinsey & Company | October 2016 | Global | 68 | Scenarios for how mobility might change in three types of cities: dense cities in developed economies, dense cities in emerging economies, and sprawling metropolitan areas in developed economies. Three models of advanced urban mobility that are achievable by 2030. |
| Urban World: Meeting the Demographic Challenge | McKinsey & Company | October 2016 | Global | 48 | Report on the future of urban population. This paper explores the challenges facing the urban world and strategies that cities might deploy to survive and thrive in a more challenging backdrop. |
| Electric Vehicles for Smarter Cities: The Future of Energy and Mobility | World Economic Forum | January 2018 | Global | 32 | Exploring the short term future (2030) for the Electric Vehicles (EV) and the city energy infrastructure. |
| Scenarios 2040: Scenarios of Low Carbon Living | CRC for Low Carbon Living, Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL), University of Melbourne | May 2016 | Australia | 58 | Four end-state scenarios which describe distinctive long term possibilities of what low carbon living might ‘look and feel’ like in the future in southern Australian cities. |
| Report Name |
| Thriving amid turbulence: Imagining the cities of the future |
| Organisation |
| McKinsey & Company |
| Pub Date |
| October 2018 |
| Geography |
| Global |
| Pages |
| 2800 words |
| Overview |
| This discussion paper explores four major forces shaping today’s cities—from resource stresses to increasing internationalization—and lays out a 14-point vision for thriving cities of the future. |
| Report Name |
| Future of cities |
| Organisation |
| Quartz |
| Pub Date |
| September 2018 |
| Geography |
| Global |
| Pages |
| 4800 words |
| Overview |
| Six essays on the future of cities written by some of the world’s leading thinkers and creators. |
| Report Name |
| Future Cities: Planning for our growing population |
| Organisation |
| Infrastructure Australia |
| Pub Date |
| February 2018 |
| Geography |
| Australia |
| Pages |
| 16 |
| Overview |
| Three possible scenarios for future cities in Australia. The cities of Melbourne and Sydney are used as examples. The report tries to provide an insight into how Australia’s largest cities might grow, and the outcomes delivered by different land-use, employment, and infrastructure decisions. |
| Report Name |
| Future of UK Cities: Three contrasting scenarios |
| Organisation |
| Government Office for Science |
| Pub Date |
| March 2016 |
| Geography |
| UK |
| Pages |
| 16 |
| Overview |
| Three national scenarios were developed as contrasting versions of the future of the UK’s city system: ‘Major cities empowerment’, ‘London-centric’, and ‘Smaller cities focus’. |
| Report Name |
| Future Cities Dialogue: A project investigating urban system integration in the UK |
| Organisation |
| Forum for the Future, Innovate UK, Science wise and Ipsos MORI |
| Pub Date |
| March 2017 |
| Geography |
| UK |
| Pages |
| 46 |
| Overview |
| Three visions for the future regarding the infrastructure and systems integration of UK cities by the year 2040. |
| Report Name |
| Inspiring Future Cities & Urban Services: Shaping the Future of Urban Development & Services Initiative |
| Organisation |
| World Economic Forum |
| Pub Date |
| April 2016 |
| Geography |
| Global |
| Pages |
| 60 |
| Overview |
| Report on the global urban issues and challenges, triggers and enablers for urban transformation, and a 10-step action plan is provided to help city authorities navigate the journey of urban transformation. |
| Report Name |
| Global scenarios of urban density and its impacts on building energy use through 2050 |
| Organisation |
| Texas & University |
| Pub Date |
| January 2017 |
| Geography |
| Global |
| Pages |
| 6 |
| Overview |
| The primary goals in this study are to develop possible scenarios of future urbanization, using urban population density as the metric, and to estimate the energy implications of these different urban futures. |
| Report Name |
| Future of Cities Report 2017 |
| Organisation |
| Future Agenda Limited |
| Pub Date |
| June 2017 |
| Geography |
| Global |
| Pages |
| 52 |
| Overview |
| This report shares the findings from this Future of Cities Open Foresight research project. It identifies and discusses some common challenges found in most urban areas today, and also explores several shared ambitions to create more healthy, accessible and intelligent cities. |
| Report Name |
| Future Energy Scenarios for African Cities Unlocking Opportunities for Climate Responsive Development |
| Organisation |
| European Union Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility |
| Pub Date |
| April 2017 |
| Geography |
| Africa |
| Pages |
| 110 |
| Overview |
| This study contains: – an analysis of the main megatrends that will shape the future of African cities; – four alternative scenarios of African cities until 2050 with a focus on the implications for energy; – recommended areas for action for decision makers including policy makers, the private sector, civil society and the donor community. |
| Report Name |
| Perspective input into the World Energy Council Scenarios: ‘Innovating Urban Energy’ |
| Organisation |
| World Energy Council/ Arup |
| Pub Date |
| October 2016 |
| Geography |
| Global |
| Pages |
| 36 |
| Overview |
| This Perspective Paper selects five emerging urban energy innovations which hold the potential to substantially steer transition of the energy agenda in our cities, towns and smaller conurbations. |
| Report Name |
| The Future of Vertical Mobility |
| Organisation |
| Porsche Consulting |
| Pub date |
| March 2018 |
| Geography |
| Global |
| Pages |
| 36 |
| Overview |
| Estimates for the year 2035 regarding vertical transportation (flying cars and cities). |
| Report Name |
| An integrated perspective on the future of mobility |
| Organisation |
| McKinsey & Company |
| Pub Date |
| October 2016 |
| Geography |
| Global |
| Pages |
| 68 |
| Overview |
| Scenarios for how mobility might change in three types of cities: dense cities in developed economies, dense cities in emerging economies, and sprawling metropolitan areas in developed economies. Three models of advanced urban mobility that are achievable by 2030. |
| Report Name |
| Urban World: Meeting the Demographic Challenge |
| Organisation |
| McKinsey & Company |
| Pub Date |
| October 2016 |
| Geography |
| Global |
| Pages |
| 48 |
| Overview |
| Report on the future of urban population. This paper explores the challenges facing the urban world and strategies that cities might deploy to survive and thrive in a more challenging backdrop. |
| Report Name |
| Electric Vehicles for Smarter Cities: The Future of Energy and Mobility |
| Organisation |
| World Economic Forum |
| Pub Date |
| January 2018 |
| Geography |
| Global |
| Pages |
| 32 |
| Overview |
| Exploring the short term future (2030) for the Electric Vehicles (EV) and the city energy infrastructure. |
| Report Name |
| Scenarios 2040: Scenarios of Low Carbon Living |
| Organisation |
| CRC for Low Carbon Living, Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab (VEIL), University of Melbourne |
| Pub Date |
| May 2016 |
| Geography |
| Australia |
| Pages |
| 58 |
| Overview |
| Four end-state scenarios which describe distinctive long term possibilities of what low carbon living might ‘look and feel’ like in the future in southern Australian cities. |
