Research and analysis

Future of cities: framework for discussing disruptive factors

A framework for assessing the possible effects of unlikely or unforeseen factors which could disrupt urban trends over the next 50 years.

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Details

Trends in urban development may be disrupted by processes and events that are normally considered too improbable to worry about or are entirely unforeseen.

This paper provides a framework to discuss these ‘disruptors’. It focuses on 5 types:

  • social
  • health
  • technological
  • environmental
  • political

The paper was commissioned as part of the Foresight future of cities project.

Updates to this page

Published 22 August 2016

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