How cities are changing

The definition of a successful city has changed over time as cities have evolved. So how are the cities of today changing?
Prof Greg Clark, Group Advisor, Future Cities and New Industries at HSBC explains.

“Cities have clearly changed and developed their roles at different periods of history,” says Greg.

“In the recent past, we thought a successful city was a city that a major cluster of office jobs in the centre, suburban housing on the fringes, and an attractive set of amenities, facilities, services and public space,” says Greg. And while all these things remain important, our priorities are changing. 

According to Greg, our awareness of the planetary imperative of climate change is forcing cities to be cleaner, greener and more compact. They also need to be better connected. While the impacts of population growth, decarbonisation, and digitisation, are that cities are becoming places where transitions to new platforms and new technologies are being accelerated and deepened.