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This report, published by the World Economic Forum, focuses on the continuously increasing urbanization trend that characterizes most of the countries nowadays. It acknowledges the existing diversity between cities, due to demographical, geographical and governmental characteristics and tries to reveal new innovative ways in which services are delivered under the modern urban context.
A comprehensive figure at the introduction section of this report illustrates its main structure, highlighting three general topics: issues & challenges, triggers & enablers for urban transformation and tools for transformation.
Four stages of development are reported (rudimentary, functional, integrated and scalable), through which cities will be able to develop and expand a set of essential features characterizing the future city. These features will eventually transform cities into sustainable, citizen centric, economically vibrant, accessible, resilient, well governed responsive and planned places.
According to the report, a new set of business models will gradually be developed, able to adapt themselves to any future urban transformations. Some of the main business models refer to the development of digital “integrated city’ services; city operations as a service; public asset revitalization; a circular and sharing economy; and innovative public services outsourcing.
As this report rightly observes, although the pace of urbanization brings numerous challenges, it also presents a generational opportunity to re-define the social, economic and environmental fabric of our cities, as well as re-think the private sector’ s role in urban investment and service delivery.
Find the full report here.