Streets and Public Spaces
Trends, technology and mobility shaping cities ahead.
Start here · Essential guide
A wide-angle look at how growing cities affect economies, land use and daily life, and why the choices made in urban development tend to last for generations.
Newly emerging shifts such as hybrid work, changing retail and flexible building use are reshaping cities, though how far they last remains uncertain.
A review of technical and design innovations in buildings and city services, with practical advice on how to judge hype against evidence.
How planners can turn long-running trends into practical strategy, from flexible rules to maintained infrastructure, to prepare cities for decades ahead.
Longer-running demographic and economic trends, such as aging populations, migration and changing industries, that steer where and how cities grow.
How renewal projects can set up streets and land use for shared, electric and active travel, and why the land around a street matters as much as the vehicles.
A look at construction methods and development models, including modular building, flexible zoning and phased projects, with realistic notes on limits.
How sensor and data-driven city management may affect urban development, including the promise, privacy concerns, costs and practical limits.
A general account of how sensors, data and digital services entered city management, with a look at the privacy, cost and equity concerns that came with them.
Strategic adjustments cities considered after the pandemic, including street use, office space, health preparedness and service delivery, with honest limits.
A reflective look at what the pandemic revealed about crowding, public space, housing and inequality, separating firmer lessons from open questions.
How more working from home may change commuting, offices, local centers and housing demand, and why the evidence about lasting effects is still unsettled.
Current planning approaches that have taken hold in recent decades, and which of them are well established versus still more hype than evidence.
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