In the last 100 years the world population has increased in an exponential rate and it is expected to touch 9 billion by 2050. According to a recent the United Nations study, 75% of them will be living in cities. Limited resources and increasing consumption are putting extra stress on the planet. Demand for energy will increase by 87% by 2050. 70% more food will be required to support the growing population. The world will need 55% more water by 2050. Cities around the world have to invest more than 41 trillion dollars to modernize their infrastructures. About 30 million dwellings are needed by 2050. Oil and gas demand will see a 110% increase. As result, this will demand greater investment in defense and security. The world is becoming flat and interdependent economics are creating globalization of resources.
Are we ready for all of these challenges? Can we make the world a better place to live for the next generations?
In order to tackle these challenges, many stakeholders, from the quadruple helix of government, academia, industry and civil society on local, national and international levels, need to join hands together and take benefits from recent technological trends and opportunities in order to come up with new ideas and solutions. These stakeholders need a common international platform to communicate, exchange ideas, disseminate knowledge and share resources. With this regard, we have founded “FutureCitiesCouncil.org”, a once stop-shop collaboration platform, which will facilitate such collaboration.
On behalf of the team and members of www.FutureCitiesCouncil.org, I hope that you will take the opportunity to work with us for a better and bright future.