The Cities of Tomorrow

U.S. cities suck.

Despite being the global leader in technology and an economic powerhouse, our urban hubs rank dismally low compared to other large metros across the globe.

According to the Economist’s ranking of the most livable cities in 2023, we didn’t make the top 10 and barely broke the top 25, with Honolulu (which isn’t even located within the continental U.S.) closing out the select group.

The top 10 can be found below:

1. Vienna, Austria

2. Copenhagen, Denmark

3. Melbourne, Australia

4. Sydney, Australia

5. Vancouver, Canada

6. Zurich, Switzerland

7. Calgary, Canada

7. Geneva, Switzerland

9. Toronto, Canada

10. Osaka, Japan

Even coastal hubs like San Diego and Los Angeles known for their sunny beaches and high quality of life dropped in this year’s ranking.

From instability to pollution to record-low office occupancy rates, the metropolises of America are experiencing their biggest challenges in decades.

The plights of big cities in the U.S. have led to the great pilgrimage out of them.

Further fueled by remote work and an ungodly amount of residential Starbucks locations, affluent singles and families alike are instead settling in the burbs and rural communities.

Across demographics, we are seeing a shift in American preference against urban living in general. Numerous studies completed since 2020 have found that U.S. residents increasingly want to live small-town or suburban lives where they have bigger houses, more green space, and a lower cost of living.

While this move away from metro life may work in the short term, it’s unlikely to be a long-term solution for anyone. Like the 347 emails you have yet to open since the holiday break, big cities aren’t going away.

The United Nations estimates that by 2050, two out of every three people will be living in urban settings.

While dense U.S. cities struggle to reinvigorate downtown areas and remain attractive, metros around the world are pursuing new ways to reinvent themselves for the future.

Cities both old and new are using technology, green energy solutions, and intelligent planning to survive and thrive in our increasingly urban world.

So what cities today are best poising themselves for the future? How are they using technology to solve common urban problems like air pollution and crime while making becoming more accessible and green?

Most importantly, what can the U.S. learn from them?

Biker’s Paradise

At almost a thousand years old, Copenhagen’s roots stretch far beyond any city found in the U.S.

Despite its rich history of Vikings and voyaging about Scandinavia, the Capital of Denmark has its eyes set solely on the future.

Copenhagen’s strategy for becoming an emblem of urban progress is cemented in its goal to be carbon-neutral by 2025. How the Scandinavian city aims to achieve this end is multi-fold.

In big U.S. cities today, we are plagued by noise and air pollution in large part due to car traffic. City streets are jammed up with the constant flow of pedestrians, bikers, and electric scooters, on top of poorly managed traffic.

In Copenhagen, they are flipping urban travel on its head. The city has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in cycling paths, larger streets, and even electric ferries to encourage commuters to travel by foot or water rather than gas.

If you’ve ever been or seen pictures, it’s shocking how many people are actively biking and walking.

In December 2022, I went there for the first time and despite sub-20-degree temperatures and 25 MPH winds, bikers and walkers seemed to outnumber drivers more than 2:1.

Whereas most cyclists in my home city of Chicago would rack up their bikes and wait it out till the spring, bikes littered the streets and urban center of Copenhagen.

To manage its vehicle traffic, the city was one of the first globally to implement a smart traffic light system that uses real-time data to predict and control traffic patterns, reducing congestion & emissions.

Today, using novel advancements in cloud computing and algorithm-based simulations, the city is effectively harnessing this tech in the majority of its roadways to assist both drivers and bikers.

Apart from its focus on walkability and clean energy, the city’s ability to quickly recover from the pandemic was due in part to its abundance of green spaces and waterways.

In the last three decades, the city has made a massive focus on giving urban dwellers a green feel through an excess of public parks, river walks, and gardens, which now make up more than 25% of the entire capital.

Some city planners are taking it even further. A project started in 2022 is currently underway to build a new housing development entirely out of wood.

The housing area would suit more than 5,000 new residents and act as a hybrid living space and nature preserve. The project is estimated to triple the area’s biodiversity through birdhouses and other animal habitats integrated into the building facades.

Copenhagen's bets on sustainability and smart technology haven’t gone unnoticed. The city has ranked in the top 5 most liveable on Earth for the past 3 years and is consistently ranked as Europe’s “Greenest City”.

The Garden City

When Lee Kuan Yew became prime minister of Singapore in 1959, the island was one of the poorest regions on the planet, with constant rioting, corruption, and no natural resources.

Determined with a bold vision to make Singapore one of the most developed and stable countries on the planet, Yew carried out an ambitious redevelopment plan focused on economic growth, sustainable infrastructure, and firm leadership.

Over the next three decades, Yew’s technocratic government and policymaking grew Singapore’s economy and domestic business faster than anywhere else on Earth.

Since his term as prime minister ended in 1990, Singapore’s rise has only continued, with the city-state becoming a global financial hub and the fifth richest city on Earth.

So, what does Singapore do well?

Drawing from policies from Yew’s tenure, the city is committed to diversified business and investment activity through low taxes, strong central planning, remaining tough on crime and liberal immigration policies that encourage highly educated individuals to live and work in the country.

Like Copenhagen, the island nation is also focused on sustainability.

Its massive skyscrapers elegantly intertwine with nature, creating a garden city unrivaled by any other on the planet.

THE LINE, Saudi Arabia

Okay, in full transparency, the final city on my list hasn’t been built yet…HOWEVER, it may be the best example of what the “Cities of Tomorrow” could look like.

Bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the 100+ billion (yes billion with a b) project titled, “THE LINE”, aims to be the giga-city of the future. Spanning 170km long and no more than 200 meters wide, the incoming mega-metropolis will run on 100% renewable energy and reportedly 95% of the land will be used for “nature”.

All of one’s needs from shopping to recreation to entertainment will be available within a 5-minute walk, and transportation throughout will be powered by high-speed rail empowering 9 million future residents to travel from end to end in under 20 minutes.

The city is actively being built as one of several future developments by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that will make up the northwestern region, of NEOM.

The massive development project is spearheaded and heavily endorsed by the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

As quoted from NEOM’s website below:

Along with THE LINE, NEOM will encompass three additional futuristic hubs including the industrial port city of “OXOGAN”, the tourist ski town of “TROJENA”, and the luxury island of “SINDALAH”.

While construction is currently underway on all four, SINDALAH will be the first city open for tourists this year.

Looking Forward

Urban planning has never seen greater challenges in the modern age.

Integrating both new technologies with clean energy and functionality with form for a world of more than 8 billion (and counting) requires cities to innovate constantly.

Around the globe, we are seeing massive undertakings by old, new, and future cities to address these challenges head-on.

Metros like Copenhagen, Singapore, and the planned “THE LINE” couldn’t be farther apart in distance or history. Yet, they share many of the same attributes that are making their respective countries more attractive to both urban dwellers and businesses alike.

A focus on clean energy, cutting-edge architecture, effective urban transport, walkability, and strong central planning are at the core of our world’s cities of tomorrow.

We have a lot of work to do to improve our big urban hubs like NYC and SF.

I’ll admit, that these elements above only paint half the picture in a period of high costs and instability.

Nonetheless, I believe if we orient ourselves in the U.S. toward innovation, strong central planning, and a focus on sustainable infrastructure, we are positioning our urban centers for tomorrow’s world.

-John Henry

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