The cities of the future

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Hey everyone,

It’s the first Thursday of the month, so it's time for another deep dive into a new topic. This month I’m looking at what sustainable cities really look like.

When we imagine cities of the future, it’s easy to picture flying cars, towering skyscrapers, and hyper-speed public transport everywhere.

But what if the sustainable cities of the future don’t look futuristic at all? What if they just look greener, cleaner, and a tad more human?

As urban populations continue to grow (it’s projected that 70% of the global population will live in a city by 2050), it’s essential that we start to build more sustainable cities.

The good news is that many, if not most, of the solutions we need already exist today.
Here’s a look at what a truly sustainable city could (and in some cases already does) look like.

Energy: Cities powered by Clean, Local Grids

First things first, a sustainable city needs clean energy at its core.

Instead of relying on large scale and centralised power plants running on fossil fuels, the cities of the future will be powered by local, decentralised, renewable grids.

Think rooftop solar panels on homes, schools and office buildings. Communities will share power across neighbourhoods through micro-grid infrastructure, removing the risks associated with a wider grid.

Advanced battery storage systems will help maintain backup power to balance the peaks and troughs of renewable energy and keep the lights on even during outages.

Projects like the Brooklyn micro-grid in New York are already showing how energy can become more democratic, allowing residents to sell excess solar power directly to their neighbours!

The ultimate goal here is to create energy-positive cities, where buildings don't just consume energy, but produce it too.

Transportation: Moving People, Not Cars

Transportation is one of the biggest carbon contributors in cities so any truly sustainable city needs to flip the script here, and focus on moving people efficiently, not just moving cars.

Increased public transport, such as buses, trams and trains running on clean energy will replace the majority of car usage, while short distance options like shared bikes and electric scooters will help get people the final mile of their journey. Cities like Oslo are leading the way here, already aiming for all public transport to be zero-emission.

Walkable neighbourhoods will also be a standard, rather than a future goal, where almost all needs such as shops, restaurants and public spaces can be accessed within a 15-minute walk.

All these changes will allow us to start making simple but fundamental changes to our cities by reclaiming space from cars. Just imagine what your nearest city would look like if even 50% of the space currently taken up by roads and parking spaces were transformed into walking paths, public spaces and new facilities. Paris is already working towards this future, rapidly building protected bike lanes and reclaiming streets from cars.

Don't get me wrong, electric vehicles still play a role, but reducing car dependance altogether is even more important.

In a truly sustainable city, it’s easier, safer, and more pleasant to get around without needing to drive every step of the way.

Urban Design: Nature as Infrastructure

Green spaces aren't just nice to have in cities of the future, they're vital infrastructure for sustainable, resilient cities.

Nature helps cities absorb carbon dioxide, lower temperatures, and prevent flooding through water absorption, all whilst massively boosting residents mental health and general community wellbeing.

As we adapt existing cities and build new ones over the coming decades, nature will become a fundamental component woven into the core of cities.

Think green roofs and walls cooling buildings naturally, parks in every neighbourhood and streets turned from concrete slabs to natural materials for walking paths.

Places like Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay are leading examples, proving that dense cities don’t have to be grey concrete jungles.
Meanwhile Milan’s Bosco Verticale, two residential towers covered in trees show how we can integrate nature vertically, not just horizontally.

Nature isn’t an afterthought in cities of the future. It’s part of the architecture.

Buildings: Smarter, Greener, Circular

Buildings are currently responsible for nearly 40% of global energy use and carbon emissions. That can’t be the case when it comes to the sustainable cities of the future, so reimagining how we design, build, and operate them is critical.

The reality is that this probably won’t look like cities full of shiny new sustainable buildings. Sure, it’s great to build them that way when we can, but rebuilding everything we’ve currently got would be a disaster in every sense.

Retrofitting older buildings with better insulation, new, smarter energy systems, and electrified heating will be key parts of the transition for existing cities towards sustainability.

New buildings, however, will make use of all this alongside sustainable materials like low-carbon concrete and sustainably sourced timber. I’d expect we’ll even see buildings use new construction techniques that will allow them to be easily deconstructed and reduced towards the end of their life.

The Edge in Amsterdam is a great example of what we can expect to see more of, it’s often called the world’s smartest (and greenest) office building. Alongside the sustainable architecture of the building itself, it uses smart lighting, advanced energy management, and even employee smartphones to optimise how the building operates minute-by-minute.

In future cities, buildings will support sustainability, not just consume materials and resources.

Waste and Water: Closing the Loops

If future cities are truly sustainable, waste and water will no longer follow the traditional linear "take-make-dispose" model. They'll become circular loops.

When it comes to waste, we’ll see city-wide composting of food waste, repair and reuse hubs helping to extend the life of all products and materials and smart waste management systems optimising collections and recycling.

Water recycling will be the new normal, with greywater from buildings repurposed for suitable reuse straight away. Sewage treatment plants will generate biomass energy from waste and general consumption will treat water like the valuable resource it is.

Cities like San Francisco have already made composting mandatory, aiming for zero waste.
Meanwhile, Melbourne is pioneering city-wide water recycling networks to manage drought risks.

In future cities, nothing will really be "waste", everything will be a resource.

Cities built for people, not just progress

The cities of the future won’t just be sustainable because they use less energy or produce less waste. They’ll be sustainable because they put people and nature back at the centre of urban life.

A sustainable city isn’t about futuristic tech towers or space-age transport.
It’s about creating places where communities thrive, nature has a home among us, and daily life is healthier, easier, and more resilient.

And the most exciting part? Much of this future is already here. In pieces, in projects, in neighbourhoods that are showing what’s possible.

If we connect these pieces, scale these ideas, and centre sustainability in every new street, park, and building, we can reshape the way cities grow, and the way we live.

Catch you next week!
James

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