Atkins

Atkins

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How do we create liveable and inclusive cities fit for the future?

Half the world’s population or 3.5 billion people, now live in cities and this is forecasted to reach 60% by 2030 and 75% by 2050.

According to the New Climate Economy report released September 2014, to keep pace with this growth, the world needs to invest $90 trillion in infrastructure through to 2030. This includes developing new infrastructure and rebuilding existing connections.

This rapid urbanisation of the world’s population is the grand challenge of the 21st century. Finding solutions to this unprecedented challenge encourages us to think in a systems way about all interconnected sectors such as water infrastructure, transport, food, health and wealth-creation and energy, as cities of the future need to become environmentally resilient, socially cohesive and as efficient as possible.

Modern planning has to demonstrate a step-change in imagination, holistic thinking and levels of cooperation across disciplines due to the complexity of the tasks that lay ahead. We might be looking 50 or even 100 years ahead, but the future depends on what we do and how we act now.

Atkins has the broad spread of talent to tackle these challenges, from economists to scientists, town planners to architects, engineers and ecologists. We have teams of brilliant and dedicated people who care deeply about our shared future.

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