As more and more people live on this planet, the pressure to build smart cities that feature environmentally sustainable infrastructure will become immense. Planners will be challenged to do more with less. Here's a discussion of this complex issue.
The global population, according to the Pew Research Center, is projected to grow by 38% from 2010 to 2050. This increase means an additional 2.7 billion people in the world, many of whom will be living in Africa and other developing countries. Additionally, India will soon surpass China as the most populous. It is also projected that by the year 2050, 70% of the population will reside in urban communities.
This population growth presents an interesting and unique problem for urban planners. As more and more people live on this planet, the pressure to build smart cities that feature environmentally sustainable infrastructure will become immense. The challenge facing planners will be to find a way to do more with less. In other words, what decisions will need to be made going forward to create livable environments for more per people per square foot as population densities grow while maintaining a proper balance between human and environmental needs?
Read the full article for a more in-depth look at this question.
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research