By Anders Lindgren

How will we live: In cities of dreams or urban nightmares?

URBANIZATIONRapid

Did you

In 1800, only 3% of us lived in cities, now it is 50%70 million are added to this total every year

KNOW?

The population boom!

The rapid crowding of cities is caused mainly by one thing:

300 millions

We have grown from 1 billion people to

8000 BC

AD 1

6000 BC

4000 BC2000 BC

1700

1800

The Agricultural revolution

1 billion

5 millions

in just 200 years!

2000

7billions

YEAR 2016

9billions

YEAR 20507 BILLION

KEY DRIVER

Thesecondary

IS THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION that started in the 18th century

In and around our cities

For 200 years, factories have been shooting up LIKE MUSHROOMS

Masses of workers have moved out of rural

and into urban areas

Today, climate changes and wars also forcepeople to move

Every year millions of refugees migrate to urban areas in search of a better life

SOURCE: Synthesis Report, Climate Change, Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions

No wonder, we seesuch rapid growth of URBAN AREAS

Apparently, we are compelled

to crowd togetherin big cities

By 2030,two-thirds of the world’s population WILL RESIDE IN CITIES

Source: United Nations Population Division

Explosive growth of

MEGACITIES

1970 Today 2030

30 today and counting: The number of megacities with > 10 million people is expected to grow to over 40 by 2030.

Every year, 70 million people join the URBAN POPULATION

1 BILLION

The number is expected to rise, despite great efforts to counteract the problem

people live in urban slums

Source: UN-Habitat

Our cities are more

DENSELY

Inevitably, this is putting cities’ social fabric and infrastructure under pressure

populated than ever

The cities are struggling

TO KEEP UP

With growing need for houses, transport, food, water, sanitation, care and education

Air pollution is nowthe deadliest form

and the fourth leading risk factor for premature deaths worldwide

SOURCE: The Cost of Air Pollution 2016, the World Bank

OF POLLUTION…

Managing urban areas has become one of the most important development challenges of the 21st century.”

– JOHN WILMOTH, Director of UN DESA’s Population Division

trying to keep our cities livable for everyone

We face TOUGH CHOICES…

At the same timeopportunities for SMART solutions abound

Obviously, there is stillplenty of space inRURAL AREAS

Only 3% of Earth’s landmass is urbanized

SOURCE: GRUMP

Many urban people long back to the

In everything from interior to personal development and housing we can see groups of people seeking back to their natural heritage and RURAL LIFE

SOURCE: Jean Viardand Bertrand Hervieu

COUNTRYSIDE

SMARTER TRANSPORTand new digital advances

makes rural development more feasible than ever

Don’t miss the full reportGET INSIGHT into the trends that break all other trendsMegatrends are strong global forces affecting everything and all life on our planet. By viewing the world from a distance and over several centuries, there are 8 global forces of change that stand out. They are:

1. Population boom2. Rapid urbanization3. Ferocious consumption4. Technology rush5. Digital transformation6. Global connectedness7. Environmental degradation8. Wealth inequality

33,000 PEOPLE have already seen it at Slideshare. You’ll find it here: http://bit.ly/1M2Z9b2

About the author

Hey, my name is Anders Lindgren. People who know me well, will label me as a B2B services marketing specialist, digital pioneer, PR-veteran and futurist.I have two decades of experience as a marketing and communication director for large professional services firms, primarily PwC, AT&T and Sopra Steria. Throughout my career I have been passionate about understanding the world around us, sharing insights and helping people and brands communicate in a way that makes them shine.

© 2016 Anders Lindgren.

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