SMART CITIES: WHAT'S NEXT?

Inventing the city of the future is not a profession, it’s a passion; a city that is adaptable, increasingly sustainable, intelligent and makes the most out of the ongoing digital revolution.

- DR STELLIOS PLAINIOTIS

NEAPOLI (in Ancient Greek means ‘New City’), an environmental design & engineering firm founded in 2010, has offices in London, Kuala Lumpur and Seoul with a portfolio that includes projects such as the Paya Lebar Masterplan in Singapore, the new Petronas Cititowers in KLCC, Penang Airport Extension, new Doha International Airport Expansion and Menara PNB. Upon completion in 2021, Menara PNB, the 118-storey 644-metre mega skyscraper will be the tallest building in Malaysia and second-tallest building in the world.

What are the biggest challenges for the cities of tomorrow and how can we address them?

Cities are very important hubs of economic and social power. Yet, they are facing myriad challenges: bad air quality, noise, waste management, traffic congestion, housing affordability, deficient infrastructure, energy security, social inequality. These challenges will be intensified in the coming years by rapid demographic, environmental, economic and social shifts.

Governments need to address them in an economic, sustainable way, to create the right conditions for growth by identifying how urban environments and their citizens are given the very best to thrive. Reducing inequality, improving resource efficiency and addressing environmental problems such as air quality and global warming are objectives that should be pursued.