Four trends in sustainable cities for Twenty Twenty-Four

The new year got off to a rough start for #sustainable #cities with floods hitting conurbations in the UK and other countries. But the journey towards #sustainability is one of long-term progress and, in that light, I highlight four positive trends for #2024.

The global shift towards urban centres and away from rural areas is set to continue. The city population share doubled from 25 per cent in 1950 to about 50 per cent in 2020, and it is projected to slowly increase to 58 per cent over the next 50 years, according to UN-Habitat. With that greater population comes a louder collective voice that city leaders can project within the global geopolitical arena. Expect them to push their agenda for action in key areas such as the COP29 climate summit towards the end of the year.

The second trend will be the continued exploration by both tech firms and policymakers into ways to develop so-called smart cities that improve urban liveability for all residents. One focus will be making Wi-Fi accessible to all citizens irrespective of wealth. The turn of the year saw Baltimore City unveil plans for FreeBmoreWiFi, a free public Wi-Fi network that will encompass all recreation centres by the end of the year with ambition for citywide access. London mayor Sadiq Khan has allocated funds to investigate technology such as an OpenRoaming network, which could allow users to seamlessly connect to Wi-Fi networks. But that is just one aspect of digitalisation that could impact with other potential areas including city lighting, Internet of Things (IoT) and building design.

Improving transport and making it more environmentally efficient is the third area to look to for progress. The Paris city government is pushing ahead with plans to discourage SUVs by raising parking changes while London’s Khan is pushing ahead with the ULEZ charge for high emitting vehicles, which he says has led to a reduction in those vehicles on the road. But making life hard for drivers is only a small part of the agenda: this must be matched by significant investment in alternative energy vehicles, such as hydrogen and battery-electric, sustainable public transport and in infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. The omens are positive: IoT analysis firm Berg Insight estimates that the number of deployed vehicles in bikesharing schemes will grow at an annual rate of 8.2 per cent from 23.7 million at the end of 2022 to 35.2 million by 2027.

Last but not least, and perhaps most controversial is a hope that the move towards the concept of the 15-minute city will regain momentum this year. The idea, which was proposed by a Paris-based urbanist, Carlos Moreno, is that inhabitants can access the services they need to live, learn and thrive within a quarter-hour walk without the need for a car trip. However, towards the end of last year the UK Conservative government pushed back against the idea and appeared to borrow from conspiracy theories that local councils were deciding how and when people would go to the shops. This has tied in with opposition to local traffic neighbourhoods that aim to make certain streets car-free. But the UK is only one jurisdiction and the idea has caught the attention of communities across the world.

New year, New events

This year will also be a lively one for sustainable city events. The new Norman Foster Foundation will hold its first public event on 22 January in Madrid where the eponymous architect will introduce a debate on lessons learned from research into building and maintaining self-contained habitats beyond our planet for cities back on Earth. March will see Sustainable Cities in Action, a new annual forum with a particular focus on the MEASA region (Middle East, Africa and South Asia) at Expo City Dubai.

Livable Cities, an initiative between the City University of London, AMPS (Architecture. Media, Politics, Society) and City Tech – City College of New York, will hold a conference in June. The interdisciplinary event will include discussion of design and planning, resilience and sustainability, urban development and city economies and many other issues. There are doubtless countless other events at a global, national, regional and local level. So despite the rocky start, 2024 promises to be a year of further exploration and discovery for proponents of sustainable cities.