Infrastructure & Cities

[Video] Flexible cities: The future of Australian infrastructure

November 22, 2018

Global
Jeremy Kingsley

Senior manager, Policy & insights

Jeremy Kingsley is a senior manager at Economist Impact and regional practice lead for Technology & Society in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He leads a regional team of analysts and editors on policy research, consulting and thought leadership programmes exploring technological change and its impacts on society. Jeremy joined The Economist Group in 2017 from Nesta, the innovation foundation, where he oversaw the Challenges of Our Era research programme and design of challenge prizes. He previously edited Nesta's magazine, served as a contributing editor at WIRED, and has spent 12 years covering technology, innovation and business trends as a journalist, researcher and consultant for The Economist, The Economist Intelligence Unit, The Financial Times, Slate, WIRED Consulting and others. He holds a master’s degree in philosophy and economics from the London School of Economics, with distinction, and a first-class bachelor’s degree from Trinity College Dublin.

Cities are struggling to keep up the changes we see around us. From new technologies that are changing how we live and work to accommodating unprecedented urban population growth.

Australia has one of the highest population growth rates among medium and large OECD countries. The overall population has increased by 40% since 1990 and is forecast to increase by another 40% by 2040. This is increasingly putting pressure on transport infrastructure, air quality and energy resources. Like many cities, Australia's state capitals need smarter and more flexible infrastructure to address these challenges.

Infrastructure that can make better use of existing space and that can adapt in accordance with uncertain futures. For example,

  • Roads that work as well for today's petrol vehicles as for tomorrow's autonomous electric cars
  • Buildings that can transform depending on the needs of their visitors or inhabitants
  • A rail system that can double its capacity simply through changes to its operating algorithms

 

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