The Big Picture

Exploring the trends shaping our modern cities through a curated collection of articles and op-eds

AI Dedicated to Desirable and Affordable Housing

Juin 04, 2019

By 2050, the world’s urban population is expected to nearly double. To account for this increase, an estimated 25 million new dwellings will need to be built every year for the next 30 years. Housing the world’s population is quickly becoming one of humanity’s most pressing problems. And a home is far more than a…

Working Together to Achieve Housing Affordability for All Canadians

Juin 04, 2019

Last year, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) launched a new corporate strategy centered around an audacious goal – by 2030, everyone in Canada will have a home they can afford and that meets their needs. This aspiration, truly a stretch, requires us to think differently about what we do. Dreaming big will motivate us…

Affordable Housing Where Land and Labor Is High?

Juin 04, 2019

For decades now, cities have been perplexed by how to create affordable housing in a city where land and labor costs are high. While federal government funding was a source for affordable housing in the past, today cities have to come up with their own funding and their own solutions. Seattle made headlines earlier this…

Housing of Tomorrow

Juin 04, 2019

Fast changing lifestyles, major demographics shifts, user-centric expectations, unprecedented use of digital systems, growing citizen awareness of sustainable challenges are just someof the factors impacting the places we live, the design of our homes as well as the role of housing. What are the trends that illustrate these and their potential impact on the urban…

Homeownership Shouldn’t Be the Only Pathway to Financial Security

Juin 04, 2019

American politicians—both Republican and Democratic—hold up homeownership as a cornerstone of middle class success. No surprise, then, that U.S. housing policies, from federal tax law to local zoning, tilt the playing field in favor of homeownership. Rather than viewing homeownership as a goal in itself, policymakers should create more pathways to economic opportunity and financial…

Co-Living: An Answer to Today’s Urban Housing Need?

Juin 04, 2019

The housing providers of the 21st century have a lot of work to do. As the world becomes increasingly more convenient, connected and accessible, with a fast-accelerating shared economy, the housing market has barely evolved in meeting the ways we live and consume. Work and cultural opportunities continue to increase demand for living in big…

The Future of Greenfield Cities

Mai 29, 2019

We are at the beginning of the next wave of urbanization — a period of rapid growth in both area and population, directly influencing and being influenced by the dominant and emerging technologies of our time. Two aspects defining this wave are massive transitions in how we power and move within cities. New technological developments…

Nigeria’s Gracefield Island: Lowering Carbon Emissions for a Greener Africa

Mai 29, 2019

The impact that carbon emissions have had on our global climate has been well documented. However, the negative impact of fossil fuel-induced carbon emissions has been somewhat under-stated in developing economies, particularly in Nigeria. In contrast, the City of London’s municipal authority actively discourages vehicular traffic in the heart of London by imposing a Congestion…

Resilient Growth: Building a Resilient City in the Philippines

Mai 29, 2019

Developers of New Clark City aren’t just taking a long 360-degree view of resiliency – they’re making it into a reality. New Clark City is a 9,450-hectare metropolis located 100 kilometers north of Manila. Because its location and design were deliberately chosen to withstand natural calamities, New Clark City will serve as the government’s continuity…

Lifecycle Dynamics of a Thriving Greenfield City: Why, What, How?

Mai 29, 2019

Our team has developed a thriving integrated greenfield city from scratch in a 40 square kilometers area in the South of India. In ten years, we have brought 45,000 jobs, over 2.5 Billion (USD) of investment from businesses in 27 countries into this region, and delivered a growth of over 20 percent year over year…

Digital Twins for Greenfield Smart Cities

Mai 29, 2019

If you’ve been paying attention to the Smart City, Smart Manufacturing, or Smart Building industries over the past 12 months, I’ll bet you’ve either heard or read something – and probably a lot – about Digital Twins. A Digital Twin is a digital model of a physical asset, which continuously collects information from the built…

Rawabi: A City on a Hill

Mai 29, 2019

Overview Rawabi is the first Palestinian planned city, providing opportunities for affordable home ownership, employment, education and leisure. A Greenfield project, the city’s state-of-the-art infrastructure was designed according to a masterplan that prioritizes urban planning and environmental sustainability. The city is being developed by Bayti Real Estate Investment Company, a joint venture of Massar International…