Report calls for radical redesign of cities to cope with population growth
The Megacities on the Move report says authorities must start planning their transport infrastructure now for a future when two thirds of the world’s population will live in cities.
The Forum for the Future report devotes a lot of attention to new types of user-centred mobility solutions, as reported by The Guardian:
“Moving away from car ownership, using real-time traffic information to help plan journeys and having more virtual meetings will be vital to prevent the megacities of the future from becoming dysfunctional and unpleasant places to live, according to a study by the environmental think tank Forum for the Future. […]
One issue is to integrate different modes of transport: citizens will want to walk, cycle, access public transport, drive personal vehicles or a mixture of all modes in one journey. “Information technology is going to be incredibly important in all of this, in terms of better integrating and connecting physical modes of transport,” said [Ivana] Gazibara [, senior strategic adviser at Forum for the Future and an author of the report]. “But we’re also going to see lots more user-centred ICT [information and communication technology] so it makes it easier for us to access things virtually.”
Of particular interest too are the four scenarios for urban mobility in 2040, which paint vivid pictures of four possible worlds in 2040. Scenario animations bring each world to life, as they follow a day in the life of an ordinary woman, examining the mobility challenges and solutions in each world:
Planned-opolis
In a world of fossil fuels and expensive energy, the only solution is tightly planned and controlled urban transport.
Sprawl-ville
The city is dominated by fossil fuel-powered cars.The elite still gets around, but most urban dwellers face poor transport infrastructure.
Renew-abad
The world has turned to alternative energy and high-tech, clean, well-planned transport helps everyone get around.
Communi-city
The world has turned to alternative energy, and transport is highly personalised with a huge variety of transport modes competing for road space.
