Future of the City Centre 2025

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Group Members

Cole Carrigan
Eglantine Dang
Akcan Islamoglu
Fahad Nayyar
Louis Tzeng


The city center is a place of special significance to communities and nations. Long the economic engine, the city center has change as technology has improved. Transportation, communication, and internet technologies has destroyed some city centers while enhancing others. Climate change, natural resources, green technology, immigration, and the financail crisis of 2008 will shape the city centers of the future. So what will city centre be like in 2025? What will a post-crisis center look like? Will it remain a meeting spot, with a business function? Will people continue to work in offices? Will centers decay and the land return to agricultural function like in Detroit, or will centers have a new lease on life and reinvent themselves through the green movement? The Future of the City Centre 2025 explores this question and provides a peek into what the future may hold.

Problem Owner:Sander de Iong, Secretary General Rotterdam IAB, EDBR



Business as Usual

Spiral of Destruction

Green clusters



Systems Map


Scenario Axis

Systems Diagram

System Diagram

Emotions Chart

Scenario Axis

Scenario Axis Matrix

Driving Forces

Political Driving Forces

Government intervention

Public participation

Future of climate change negotiation

Environmental Driving Forces

Scarcity of Natural Resources

Strain on Fresh Water Supplies

Climate Change

Limited Oil Reserves

Migration of population

Societal Driving Forces

Increased demand for a higher quality of life

Increased urban mobility

Increased need for young and educated immigration

Green lifestyle

Increase in Green Space within Cities

Increase in Climate Refugees

Economic Driving Forces

Debt Levels


Consumption Falls

Savings Levels in West Rise

Euro Devalues Against Dollar

China's Growth Slows

Technological Driving Forces

Personal Rapid Transit” (PRT) and “Cybernetics Transportation System” (CTS)

Floating House

Future of mobility (The Netherlands)

Future of innovation

Increase use of biometrics such as Iris Scans

Rise of Vertical Farms

Research Questions

What is a city centre?

Why and where do people traditionally meet?

What are the existing forces challenging physical meetings in city centers?

Why do face-to-face meetings still matter?

What are the demographic trends in city centers?

What are the global population trends?

How does the crisis impact living and business activities in city centres?

What is the current climate / environment state of city centers?

How does transportation impact city centers?

Does globalization affect city center?

What is the current state of the world's water supply?

What will the population look like in 2025?

How does the political system in Western countries influence city development?


Pictures obtained from the following sources

Empowerment: http://3danimation.e-spaces.com/royalty-free-images.html

Green Clusters: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/china-plans-green-city.php

Spiral of Destruction: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jan/09/whole-earth-catalog-book-review

Business as Usual: http://www.hkoutdoors.com/hong-kong-news/hk-air-pollution.html