AI-generated summary
Global megatrends are rapidly transforming both businesses and society, with their impacts increasingly converging in urban environments. As urbanization continues worldwide, these trends are reshaping how cities develop and how people live and work within them. Key megatrends identified by the EY report “Megatrends shaping 2018 and beyond” include rethinking urbanization, the future of work, the rise of the super consumer, and molecular economics.
Rethinking urbanization involves addressing societal challenges like climate change, an aging population, and chronic diseases through innovative urban planning and transportation solutions such as car sharing and autonomous vehicles. The future of work is being revolutionized by robots, artificial intelligence, the gig economy, and collaboration technologies, which are changing traditional office dynamics and creating new social interactions. The super consumer trend highlights how AI enhances individuals, demanding more trustworthy, efficient, and seamless interactions from businesses and cities. Lastly, molecular economics refers to the manufacturing revolution driven by digital technology, new materials, and 3D printing, which enables cleaner, decentralized production and transforms urban infrastructure.
These disruptive technologies and evolving trends are not only changing business models and mentalities but are fundamentally altering the way cities function and develop, presenting both challenges and opportunities for urban innovation and sustainability.
Las megatendencias de innovación que lo están cambiando todo convergen en el futuro de las ciudades.
Global trends, which are transforming businesses and society at a rapid pace, are converging in cities. As the world urbanizes, these convergences shape our lives more and more.
We highlight the most relevant megatrends, based on the EY report, Megatrends shaping 2018 and beyond:
- Rethink urbanization. The challenges facing society, such as climate change, an ageing population and chronic diseases, will require a different approach to urban planning (as to where and how to build). Car sharing and autonomous vehicles call into question urban density, garages and road networks.
- Future of work. Robots, artificial intelligence, the gig economy, generational changes and collaboration technologies are reinventing the concept of work and reducing the need for traditional office space while creating new social dynamics.
- Super consumer. People will be enhanced by artificial intelligence to create digital extensions of themselves that are smarter and more powerful in every aspect. The challenge for businesses and cities alike will be to provide the trustier, richer, and stress-free interactions that these super consumers expect.
- Molecular economics. The new manufacturing revolution is bringing clean, efficient and distributed production processes to cities. Digital technologies, new materials and 3D printing will create new forms of residential construction and urban infrastructure.
In the following video, John de Yonge, director of the area of urbanism, innovation and natural resources of EYQ, delves into these megatrends:
The development of cities is no stranger to the emergence of disruptive technologies. Some of them have triggered changes in mentality and the emergence of new business models, processes that will alter or are already altering the way we understand the city.