What Will the City of the Future Look Like?

Urbanization is, and will remain, a megatrend: Cities are becoming more relevant worldwide, also in their role as political players beyond their own city limits. Ongoing urbanization and the emergence of megacities are accelerating this process considerably. At the same time, the social, environmental and economic challenges in the urban context are becoming more and more complex, and mastering these challenges effectively and sustainably will increasingly require a pooling of different resources and skills. This is why, in the future, cities will have to offer people more than work, a place to live, and a functioning infrastructure to be a valuable living space. It is therefore no wonder that many of the Robert Bosch Stiftung’s practical projects are closely connected to cities and communities. 

Cities play a variety of roles

"Cities are centers for innovation. They are the engines of the global economy", says Max Bouchet. A fellow of the Global Governance Futures program, he and his working group develop future scenarios for the role of cities in global governance. Jodi Allemeier is also a member of the working group. Besides being a Fellow, she works on urban development projects of the public sector for the Economic Development Partnership Program in Cape Town, South Africa. Max Bouchet is an active member of the Metropolitan Policy Program of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., where he analyzes global economic ties between city networks. In an interview, the two city experts talk about their vision for the city of the future.