Future of cities
Foresight project which looked at the opportunities and challenges facing UK cities over the next 50 years.
Cities matter to the UK. They are the concentrations of the UK’s population, trade, commerce, cultural and social life. They are also the sites where most of the UK’s future growth, both population and economic, is forecast to occur. The UK’s future is now closely linked to that of its cities.
Science can play an invaluable role in supporting the analysis, design and action shaping this urban future. The aim of this project was to provide policy makers with the evidence, tools and capabilities needed to support policy decisions in the short term to lead to positive outcomes for the UK’s cities in the long term.
The project was organised around 6 main themes:
- living in cities
- urban economies
- urban metabolism
- urban form
- urban infrastructure
- urban governance
In order to develop the evidence base, we organised 19 city visits, seed-funded a number of local city projects, and commissioned a series of working papers, essays and blogs. We created a number of forums to uncover means by which policy-makers can increasingly think through a ‘cities lens’. We also developed a number of future scenarios to allow policy makers to explore critical policy options for city development.
Expert group
The project was guided by a lead expert group, who provided oversight and ensured that relevant evidence and research was used.
Project reports
Final outputs from the Future of Cities project.
Working papers
The project is informed by a number of independent working papers, developed by experts from across academia and industry, and peer reviewed by independent academics. These papers provide analysis of the future issues facing cities in the UK.
Essays
The project is also informed by a number of independent essays, developed by important thinkers in the future of cities arena.
Scenarios
Scenarios are versions of the future which can be represented by a combination of images and text. They can be used to help policy makers identify the best options for the present, as well as take advantage of opportunities in the future.