When it comes to their environmental impact, cities may contribute to greater sustainability the most through their intricate mix and overlap of uses. As cities become more densely populated uses begin to overlap and intertwine to mutual advantage, and new relationships emerge. In 2050, as much as 70 percent of the earth’s population will live in urban areas. In Europe, about 70 percent of the population already lives in an urban environment, so we have clearly reached a critical place in the development of our societies. How we deal with urban development will be a deciding factor in our foreseeable future.

There is an urgent need to propel replicable, ecologically mindful and context-sensitive design into the urban and suburban realm. While the new urbanism is not so new anymore, it is still full of talented, passionate and driven people committed to the movement's principles. The next urbanism will continue to build from the extraordinary effort led by those who came before us. It seems plausible that in the face of stronger market forces architecture in the future will increasingly seek its own sites of intervention and embrace innovative renovation as a primary means of city renewal.

Cities have become the driving force of the western economies. They are the source of employment with most of the largest and influential companies at its core. They are also the centers of most of the world´s greatest educational institutes — so it is not without reason that we should expect the solutions to most of mankind’s problems to materialize in this melting pot. The most demanding and challenging issues of city renewal in the future will be dealing with the environment, climate and food resources. Global warming is becoming ever more apparent, and the extreme consumption of our energy resources is largely at fault. The uncontrolled urban development we have witnessed in the past 100 years cannot continue. Sustainability has to become the prerequisite for all urban planning. We have to invest heavily in our education and the development of innovative new resources and technologies and — in all likelihood — accept that our unyielding demand for economic growth is unrealistic.

Dynamic and effective cities built with sustainable goals will have a far-reaching effect, strengthening and increasing the public’s quality of life. To accomplish this goal, better standards for political administration will advance public education and the encouragement of greater public participation.

Older districts will need protection with stimulation and revitalization. Sustainability will put an emphasis on revitalizing derelict and run-down areas where the focus must not only be put on economic factors but on environmental and social issues as well. Infrastructure will be re-evaluated and modernized. The challenge for infrastructure engineering is not only to devise new approaches and methods, but to communicate their value and worthiness to society at large. Engineers will be engaged in the architectural issues involved in providing environmentally friendly, energy-efficient buildings. New construction materials may address some challenges. But dramatic progress will mean developing entirely novel construction methods.

Computer science and robotics will make more automation possible, reducing construction times and lowering costs. For decades, urban infrastructure has been erected without concern for appearance or cultural milieu. A new awareness of the aesthetics of engineering has begun to influence infrastructure design. Going beyond function and contributing to the joy of living, landscape design is being used to add to a city’s appeal by managing the flow of runoff water.

Urban mass transportation is a story of increasing speed, vehicle capacity and range of travel that has shaped cities and structured the lives of those who live in them. Cities and means of travel grew together. Urban transportation services defined the geographic area in which people functioned, limiting how far one could travel. Beginning in Berlin in 1879, steam was gradually replaced by electric power, which was cleaner and quieter and permitted operation in tunnels so that urban rail transit could be under streets and buildings. This allowed mass transportation to be free and clear of congested streets. Cities in the 19th-century were filled with animal-drawn vehicles, pedestrians and vendors’ pushcarts. The idea of separating the right-of-way from other transportation modes and activities of the city was important.

Public transportation will be strengthened to an even greater extent when solutions focusing on pedestrians and cyclists come into place. Cities around the world have already begun developing integrated approaches. Transportation hubs are being built to ensure that rail, bus, taxi, walking and bicycle paths conveniently meet to reduce their environmental impact.

 And all of this, together, will shape our future.