A Megatrend is a long-term driving force that is observable now and will continue to have a global impact in years to come
People in search of better opportunities - such as jobs, services and education, have been moving from rural to urban areas across the world, and this accelerating trend is likely to continue in the future. The number of people living in cities has more than doubled over the last 40 years and is projected to reach 5 billion by 2050. While this concentration of the population in cities has been linked to increased productivity, (and 70% GDP), it is also the cause of problems associated with environmental degradation, public health, housing, congestion and inequalities. Urbanization and development are inextricably linked, and it is necessary to find a way of ensuring the sustainability of the growth. While cities today occupy approximately only 2% of the total land, they are responsible for over 60% of energy consumption, 70% of greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of global waste.
New and emerging digital technologies are helping cities to address some of these challenges and to better engage with citizens. Local governments are increasingly partnering with neighbourhood communities and enabling platforms for them to gather and build local, ‘people-based’ solutions and export these within the city and across peer-networks. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an acceleration of on-going transformations in cities such as micro-mobility, online shopping and the digitalisation of health and government services, but it has also increased inequalities between citizens.
The ‘Degree of Urbanisation’ concept allows a consistent definition and comparison of urbanisation on a global scale for researchers and policy makers and “captures the continuum between cities and rural areas”. While the UN reported that 54% of the global population lived in urban areas in 2015, using this new definition, instead we reach an estimate of 76.5% for 2015 instead - i.e. already 5.6 billion people live in cities, towns & semi-dense areas.
This Megatrend is part of the Megatrends Hub
Timeline
The driving forces of the Megatrend change over time. This timeline indicates more established and newer trends that are influencing the future direction of the Megatrend