About the session
The world is changing rapidly, with cities expected to hold 75% of the global population within 40 years. This move towards mass urbanisation will require evolutionary change as we seek to adapt the vast majority of our existing assets and create new infrastructure that copes with challenges we cannot yet fully predict. Coping with this will require a new kind of design, engineering and delivery - one which delivers adaptable and smart solutions, prioritises materials and energy efficiency, and yet still meets the highest standards of quality and safety. It will mean industry tackling problems in a more holistic way, modelling and dealing with interdependencies between risks that will be increased by issues as population growth and climate change. Achieving all of this will need teams with the broadest array of skills, with engineers working alongside academics, politicians, economists and others. It will also require innovation on a global scale we have never seen before.
