The City in 2050: Creating Blueprints for Change

Authors:  Maureen McAvey, Uwe Brandes, Matthew Jonston, John Miller

Published:  2008

The recent instability of global capital markets combined with newly emerging frameworks of environmental policy creates several imperatives for ULI. Real estate markets will be restructured and regulatory frameworks redefined. ULI’s mission calls us to forge ahead and proactively explore new land use paradigms and scenarios. This is a crucial time to help land use professionals innovate and explore new business strategies.

With The City in 2050: Creating Blueprints for Change, we take the opportunity to create a dialogue that explores potential paths of innovation. The initiative is being presented as an exchange of ideas to prepare for and act upon the changes facing metropolitan areas over the next decades as the world becomes more urbanized.

Elevated concerns over capital markets, rising energy costs, climate change, exploding populations, and equitable development are changing how communities define ‘the responsible use of land.’ As these issues increasingly affect our daily lives, discussions regarding sustainable development continue to both broaden and escalate.

In only 42 years, when we mark the midpoint of the 21st century, cities around the world will have experienced unprecedented growth—serving larger and more diverse populations than ever in world history. The quest to balance market pressures, public policy goals, and land use decisions in a fast-paced global marketplace will be more challenging than ever.