In 2050, almost ten billion people will be sharing our planet’s resources.

In the industrialized nations, economic growth is stagnating and the population is aging. At the same time, in the developing countries, increasing numbers of young people are demanding education and jobs.

The challenges of the future will manifest themselves primarily in the world’s cities. Urban areas act as population magnets. A turning point was reached around 2010, when for the first time in human history about half of the world’s population was living in cities.

The trend of urbanization continues – Cities are still growing.

In the cities of the future, living and working environments will be more closely connected than they are today. Ideally, urban communities resembling villages will exist in parallel with modern entrepreneurship.

The average age is increasing in the cities of the industrialized nations; at the same time, young people are pouring into the cities of the developing countries.

According to estimates made by the United Nations, the number of people over 60 years of age will double by 2050, and the number of people in their 80s will triple. Many of the elderly will live in Europe, where a third of the population will be older than 60.

Also according to the UN, the population of the developing nations will double at the same time. Due to urbanization and population growth, the number of the city dwellers worldwide will increase by more than 2.5 billion people. About 90 percent of this population growth will take place in Asia and Africa.

In the course of the demographic transformation, urban populations are becoming increasingly diverse. Mediating social, public and business interests will be one of the major challenges of the future.

Well-planned cities reduce the land use and increase energy efficiency. 

The cities of the developing countries are characterized by economic growth. The challenge they face is to reliably provide their residents with education, jobs and access to family planning. By contrast, the UN predicts that the industrialized countries will lose at least 15 percent of their population by 2050.

The industrialized nations are facing equally serious challenges due to their aging and shrinking populations. Whereas infrastructure in the developing countries must be expanded, supply systems in the industrialized nations must be adapted to decreasing utilization. Unused infrastructure is an unnecessary and expensive burden on taxpayers.

Our future depends on how we organize our urban development today.

The challenges of tomorrow can be mastered through smart future-oriented planning. The focus here should be on basic elements: wise investments, carefully thought-out business operations, the training of productive employees, and planning that is geared to the needs of various age groups.

Future-oriented urban planning will also promote the goal of safeguarding global stability.

industrialized countries must be adapted to the declining use .

Infrastructure that is not used is expensive and burdens the taxpayer

Our future depends on how we organise the development of our cities today.

The challenges of tomorrow can be mastered by skilful future planning:
Wise investment, prudent management, the training of a productive workforce
and the planning of the needs of different age groups are
the fundamental issues.

Forward-looking urban planning also means making it your task to ensure global stability.