Future of Cities - Future of UK Housing Supply 2022

WHICH SCENARIO IS IT?

Meanwhile, for young people looking for exciting life-experiences (and maybe also some empty nesters), Hyper-Reality presents an exciting opportunity, one that plays out in many films and has a headline grabbing tone. Our view is that the city of 2040 will contain all four scenarios in different measures. We considered the most unstoppable force to be that of technological change and so the most noticeable and inevitable changes to today’s society were likely to be found in The Grid and in Hyper-Reality. The question of urbanisation is more open to societal choices and remains the biggest uncertainty. Another certainty is the environment, as we have to address climate change in all future scenarios.

None. At least not individually. The world rarely evolves into extreme outcomes, and we are not one homogenous society that moves in lockstep together. Instead, these scenarios should be seen as a combination of the parameters of the future city, the ingredients from which they are made, and the result of nudges from where we are today. How one mixes the ingredients is a matter of interpretation. In our view, some of these scenarios are likely to play out more readily in certain societal segments. As an example, The Grid scenario is likely to be popular with those who are pro-tech, introverts with long commutes, and young families.

5 The Future of UK Housing Supply |