Today’s cities and towns are home to just over 50 percent of the world’s seven billion people. By 2050 that number will be up to 70 percent of the world’s population (estimated at nine billion!). To accommodate this predicted influx of urban residents, we need better cities.
The question is, what constitutes a “better” city and more importantly, how do you construct one?
“Better” means more compact, connected and resilient
The cities of the future will have improved infrastructure, less pollution and, on the whole, will be a better place for urban denizens to live in. In order to build these cities, construction companies and materials manufacturers will need to overcome several challenges.
Read also: A world leader in building materials optimizes its supply chain globally.
The first challenge is increasing the number of houses, including lower-cost housing projects. Many people today flock to cities in search of affordable housing. In the future, there will be even more people heading to cities with that same goal in mind. A better city will have enough homes to accommodate all of them, regardless of income level.
Secondly, cities need to become more compact. By building up instead of out, urban sprawl can be reduced. Instead of expanding cities’ footprints horizontally, builders should strive to make more skyscraper-type buildings to save ground space.
Better cities will be more resilient and environmentally sound. Building structures that will simply last a long time is not enough. They must also be constructed with the environment in mind. For example, they should be designed to preserve water and be more energy efficient.
Infrastructure plays a critical role in urban planning. In the weeks heading into the Winter Olympics, Sochi, Russia was known less for hosting the Winter Games and more for the city’s lack of proper roads, sewage systems and working hotels. Better cities will be easier to navigate due to their advanced network of roads, bridges, tunnels, stations, airports, etc.
Rome wasn’t built in a day
These better cities will not be built all at once, but a good starting point will be when greater focus is placed on encouraging innovation and change in urban planning and design. The building materials industry will be at the forefront of the drive to build better cities, and they too will need to adapt to new challenges created by increased urbanization.
This post is the first in a series of three blog entries looking at the future of the materials industry, focusing on production and logistical challenges. Stay tuned for our next post in this series which will discuss timely and profitable production of goods in the materials industry.
What are your thoughts on building better cities? Know of any other areas for urban improvement? Let us know in your comments below or drop us a tweet @Quintiq.
