Engineering future liveable, resilient, sustainable cities using foresight

Abstract

This paper shows how civil engineers can build better cities through a deeper understanding of the future benefits, resilience and value of their proposed urban infrastructure solutions. Three practical, foresight-based assessment methods are introduced and, for the first time, combined into a coherent design process founded on systems thinking. Based on data derived from a portfolio of research programmes, the University of Birmingham’s 2014 Future Urban Living report and the findings from the UK government’s Foresight Future of Cities project, they represent a synthesis of 15 years of research into sustainable, resilient and liveable cities. The three scenario-based methods provide a robust way for civil engineers to determine the likely performance and value of any future urban infrastructure scheme.