Skip to content
CIFAR header logo
fr
menu_mobile_logo_alt
  • News
  • Events
    • Public Events
    • Invitation-only Meetings
  • Programs
    • Research Programs
    • Pan-Canadian AI Strategy
    • Next Generation Initiatives
  • People
    • Fellows & Advisors
    • CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars
    • Canada CIFAR AI Chairs
    • AI Strategy Leadership
    • Solution Network Members
    • Leadership
  • Support Us
  • About
    • Our Story
    • CIFAR 40
    • Awards
    • Partnerships
    • Publications & Reports
    • Careers
    • Staff Directory
    • Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
  • fr

Follow Us

  • Home
  • research-programs
  • Humanity’s Urban Future

Humanity’s Urban Future

smaller line
What makes a good city of the future?

The future of being human is integrally tied to cities: by 2050, more than 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in an urban area. So how does one successfully plan for an urban future, knowing the city will develop beyond any current plan — and quickly?

Members of CIFAR’s new Humanity’s Urban Future program are considering what we can learn from the urban past, and what we can imagine for its future. The program will consider many important factors, including infrastructure (both material and institutional), political divisions, questions of scale, climate change, and other potential crises. In seeking answers to these pressing general questions, the program will take six cities as test-cases: Calcutta; Toronto; Shanghai; Naples; Mexico City; and Kinshasa.

By studying what makes a good city of the future, the researchers aim to make a transformative impact on urban policy and planning, regulation and infrastructure, inspiring collective deliberation and learning around how one should work towards a better urban future.

Path to Societal Impact

Areas of focus:

  • Examining six major metropolitan centres, studying how they have changed over time and in space, and the degree to which conflicts over these various conceptions of “the good city” have impacted planning outcomes
  • Establishing published research that will lead to changing the discourse of planning and the understanding of cities
  • Engagement with policy makers, political advisors, and civic actors

Founded

2023

CIFAR Contact

Kate Geddie

Fellows & Advisors

Program Directors

Diane E. Davis

Diane E. Davis

Program Co-Director

Humanity's Urban Future
Harvard University
United States
Simon Goldhill

Simon Goldhill

Program Co-Director

Humanity's Urban Future
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom

Fellows

Grace Adeniyi-Ogunyankin

Grace Adeniyi-Ogunyankin

Fellow

Humanity's Urban Future
Queen's University
Canada
Ash Amin

Ash Amin

Fellow

Humanity's Urban Future
Nuffield Foundation
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
Julie-Anne Boudreau

Julie-Anne Boudreau

Fellow

Humanity's Urban Future
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Mexico
Filip De Boeck

Filip De Boeck

Fellow

Humanity's Urban Future
University of Leuven
Belgium
Kian Goh

Kian Goh

Fellow

Humanity's Urban Future
University of California Los Angeles
United States
Roger Keil

Roger Keil

Fellow

Humanity's Urban Future
York University
Canada
Enrica Morlicchio

Enrica Morlicchio

Fellow

Humanity's Urban Future
University of Naples Federico II
Italy
Shalini Randeria

Shalini Randeria

Fellow

Humanity's Urban Future
Central European University
Austria
Xuefei Ren

Xuefei Ren

Fellow

Humanity's Urban Future
Michigan State University
United States
Ranabir Samaddar

Ranabir Samaddar

Fellow

Humanity's Urban Future
Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group
India
AbdouMaliq Simone

AbdouMaliq Simone

Fellow

Humanity's Urban Future
University of Sheffield
United Kingdom

Related News

Announcement

CIFAR’s Global Call for Ideas yields bold, new lines of inquiry on the future of being human

CIFAR’s Global Call for Ideas yields bold, new lines of inquiry on the future of being human

April 03, 2023
  • Follow Us

Support Us

CIFAR is a registered charitable organization supported by the governments of Canada, Alberta and Quebec, as well as foundations, individuals, corporations and Canadian and international partner organizations.

Donate Now
CIFAR header logo

MaRS Centre, West Tower
661 University Ave., Suite 505
Toronto, ON M5G 1M1 Canada

Contact Us
Media
Careers
Accessibility Policies
Supporters
Financial Reports
Subscribe

  • © Copyright 2023 CIFAR. All Rights Reserved.
  • Charitable Registration Number: 11921 9251 RR0001
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap

Subscribe

Stay up to date on news & ideas from CIFAR.

This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember you. We use this information in order to improve and customize your browsing experience and for analytics and metrics about our visitors both on this website and other media. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy.
Accept Learn more