It’s 2050 and 68 percent of the earth’s population—6.5 billion people—are urban. Well-managed cities are offering millions more people boundless cultural, social and economic opportunities. These are healthy, vibrant and equitable societies which have left no-one behind. And this was how one of them did it.
City buildings don’t emit carbon. They capture solar and wind power. They have efficient lighting, energy renewing elevators, underground heat storage, and water catchment.
Underground roads have eased traffic congestion on crowded city streets. They have cut pollution and made cities more sociable because urban spaces are now largely for pedestrians and cyclists. Modern ventilation systems meet stringent air quality.
Trees and other plants store carbon and beautify their surroundings. Children play and families safely enjoy the health and mental benefits of nature. Our parks increase property values, reduce crime, create community spirit, reduce physical and mental health problems and boost investment and job opportunities. They mitigate flooding and stormwater damage, increasing resilience to natural shocks. They are vital for reducing the ‘heat island’ effect. And in connecting with the periphery, city parks became part of the urban-rural continuum, with thriving connections to surroundings rural communities.
Placed in high traffic areas, and institutions such as government departments and universities, digital kiosks deliver information quickly and conveniently. As well as public internet access, they increase community spirit and provide a variety of services. People use them to check out library books, research products they are thinking of buying, get information about government services, and securely pay their utility bills.
With a fully circular economy, waste is virtually eliminated and resources are continuously used.

The transition from a ‘use and dispose’ linear to a circular economy has created millions of jobs in recycling and eliminated the health and environmental hazards from the incorrect disposal of waste.
Mobile health clinics are accessible to all. Advances in technology are bringing examination rooms, dental offices and even research labs on the road. Patient information is stored online and is readily available.
Rainwater harvesting began in the Neolithic age; all we have done is refine the techniques, making our cities even more resilient. Water is collected on rooftop terraces and courtyards, stored, and treated for drinking, washing and groundwater recharge. This has also meant a reduction in stormwater, and its resulting damage—pollution, flooding, increased health risks, and decreased income from tourism. In harvesting fog, large sheets of vertical canvas capture droplets which flow down into a trough below.

Although they occupied just three percent of the world’s surface, cities accounted for at least 70 percent of carbon emissions. They are now carbon neutral, thanks to an extensive network of solar and wind-powered generators. Solar power is captured through public solar ‘trees’—which residents can use to charge handheld devices—from solar fields, and from ‘micro communities’ where panels are installed on commercial buildings. Micro wind turbines are more suited to urban landscapes and wind patterns. Both solar and wind power provide clean energy and have created rewarding new jobs.