18 Speeches on Future Cities

As the world continues to urbanize at an increasingly rapid pace, cities are becoming extremely overwhelmed and more difficult to sustain; these speeches offer a comprehensive discussion of what future cities could like. These presentations spotlight a number of individuals including architects, economists, politicians and educators.

While the focus of the majority of these speeches is on creating sustainable urban centers to accommodate city residents, Edward Glaeser focuses on getting more people to the city. He believes that cities are the most fertile conditions for culture to develop. He sees the shift of people from the city to the suburbs to own homes as devastating for inner city school development.

Other speakers focus on the need to create more sustainable buildings and systems for cities to prepare for the growth that will take place over the next twenty years. Michael Green believes that cities need to start building skyscrapers with wood as opposed to steel and cement. Wood, unlike steel and cement, is actually beneficial for the environment and climate change. His fascinating speech defends wood as the ultimate wood to build sustainability.

James Chan believes that the age of the nation is over, and today, it is all about cities. He sees a future in which borders exist cities instead of nations, provinces or states. As a result, cities will be the principle governing body.

If you have a particular fascination with architecture and the future cities, these keynotes will provide a breadth of information.