Research
Currently, cities consume 75% of the world’s energy and produce 80% of its greenhouse gases. Water resources are under pressure and water quality is at risk. Environmental noise pollution caused by traffic, construction, industrial, as well as some recreational activities can aggravate serious direct as well as indirect health effects. By 2030 it is estimated that 5 billion people representing 60% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Never has it been more pressing that solutions are developed to enable cities to grow in a sustainable way – that will optimize how our resources are used while improving the quality of life for all citizens.
Future Cities’ vision is for effective, efficient and sustainable cities, in which citizens are safe, productive, engaged and included. Together with our industry partners, the Future Cities Centre will lead multi-disciplinary research into addressing today’s cities’ challenges, including those relating to the optimisation of a city’s resources, to harnessing the growth potential for business, to reducing the city’s environmental impact, and to improving citizens’ quality of life within urban environments. This will be achieved through the combination of research, education, citizen engagement, urban planning, technology and innovation in a truly multi-disciplinary way, to deliver innovative solutions to help co-design the city of the future. Through harnessing the rapid evolution of new technologies a ‘smart’ city can be enabled, which is able to dynamically respond to ever-changing needs.