Out of 200 global cities, Tokyo has been named the most 'future-ready', followed by Hangzhou, Helsinki, Tallinn and Taipei. Durham, Aberdeen, Sapporo, Boulder and Madrid round out the top ten.
The city of the future is designed for accessibility and safety as more people populate urban areas. Residents have healthier lives with more streamlined access to nature, services, and automated technology. Shared spaces and amenities increase human interaction and allow for smaller and micro-size homes.
Berlin, London, Stockholm, Seoul, Hong Kong, New York, and San Francisco are all considered future-focused cities in 2020 based on factors such as sustainability initiatives, use of disruptive technology, economic growth, and physical and financial health of the average resident.
The United Nations projects that by 2050, 68% of the world population will live in urban areas. Undoubtedly, the cities of 2050 will be bigger and denser, housing far more people than today. As more people migrate to cities looking for better living conditions and work opportunities, cities will continue to expand.
By 2050, 14 more cities are set to join their ranks, with a total increased population of some 213 million people. The new order will then become Delhi (49.6 million), Dhaka (34.6 million), Tokyo (32.6 million), Cairo (32.6 million) and Mumbai (32.4 million).
Dubai, Mumbai and Shenzhen are in line to become the wealthiest cities in the future, according to Henley & Partners, an investment migration consultancy that works to develop and implement residence and citizenship programmes. These three cities are growing quickly and are expected to break into the top 20 by 2030.
Paris takes the crown as the world's most powerful city destination with a Travel & Tourism sector worth almost $36BN USD in 2022, in terms of direct GDP contribution to the city. Over the next 10 years, WTTC predicts it will drop down to third place, although its value will rise to over $49BN.
capacity to anticipate and adapt to unknown future challenges and needs be they environmental, social, economic or technological, in a way that enables the city itself and its citizens to thrive.
Six new megacities by 2030: Chicago, Bogotà, Luanda, Chennai, Baghdad, Dar es Salaam. The trend towards increasingly larger cities shows no signs of stopping, as the world's growing population keeps flocking to urban areas.
Jericho, Palestine
A small city with a population of 20,000 people, Jericho, which is located in Palestine, is believed to be the oldest city in the world. Indeed, some of the earliest archeological evidence from the area dates back 11,000 years.
1. Sweden. Sweden is the top country in 2022 best quality of life rankings. The country stands out in the ranking of quality of life for health systems and well-developed public education, security, economic stability, and politics.
Australia's major cities/towns by population are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast-Tweed Heads, Canberra-Queanbeyan, Newcastle, Central Coast, Wollongong, Sunshine Coast, Geelong, Townsville, Hobart, Cairns, Toowoomba, Darwin, and Alice Springs.
With 126,900 millionaires, Sydney made it to number 10 with the report noting especially strong growth in wealth in the Harbour City over the past 20 years, making it Australia's wealthiest city.
As a result, six of the seven largest economies in the world are projected to be emerging economies in 2050 led by China (1st), India (2nd) and Indonesia (4th) The US could be down to third place in the global GDP rankings while the EU27's share of world GDP could fall below 10% by 2050.
Perth city lies at the heart of Greater Perth, which is home to just over two million people or 77 per cent of the state's population. This is forecast to grow to 2.9 million people by 2031 and 3.5 million people by 2050, becoming the third largest city in Australia after Sydney and Melbourne.
“Melbourne is projected to be the fastest-growing capital city from 2023‑2024 on, overtaking Sydney to become the nation's largest city in 2029‑2030 at just over 5.9 million people.”
According to the ABS, Melbourne has this one in the bag. It is expected to surpass Sydney's population in the mid 2030's, and become a megacity (over 10 million people) in the 2050's.