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The complexity of cities and the interdependency of different elements creates many challenges and opportunities for which technology and innovation have a key role to play.

Cities can be creative and productive; generating more wealth and using fewer resources per capita than the average for a country. But as cities grow larger, they will also become more vulnerable to climate change, infrastructure failure and health problems, and experience higher levels of congestion and crime. The opportunity for future cities is to stimulate new innovation and solutions that create wealth and deliver secure, efficient and attractive places for its inhabitants.

Cities will, therefore, need to be managed in a way that delivers growth, meets environmental targets and provides the citizen with better and more efficient services with higher levels of connectivity, at the same time keeping them safe and healthy.

The areas that offer the greatest potential to deliver future economic growth are in the development of the products and services that will enable those responsible for the infrastructures and systems needed to manage and run cities to reap the wealth creation benefits, whilst also managing environmental impact and enhancing social coherion. The potential market is large. Over £6.5tn will be invested globally in city infrastructure over the next 10-15 years, and the accessible market for integrated city systems is estimated to be £200bn a year by 2030.

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