ABSTRACT
City dwellers account for more than 54% of the global population, and the figure is increasing by 1.84% every year. Redesigning already-existed cities and planning will-be-created cities are needed in innovative ways. The modern era of industrialization has seen rapid and intensive economic development through the concentration of resources, populations, and industries in cities. Industrialization, that is urbanization, has led to progress for humanity in many areas; however, this dramatic change has come at a large opportunity cost. The growth of cities has brought the destruction of ecosystems and polluted the global environment. Cities also became battlegrounds marked by inequality and polarization between social classes. Skyrocketing housing and living expenses have pushed the urban middle class out into the suburbs. Modern megacities are currently accelerating the pace of human and global unsustainabilities. A new concept of cities of the future is needed. The massive digital revolution, which spans from the computer revolution to the internet revolution, and more recently the data revolution, is changing the face of the norms, values, and systems of the industrial age. Digitalization will serve as an agent, modality, and outcome of change. How will the digital revolution change our lives, our cities, and the world at large? Economies, politics, social systems, art and culture, and our ways of life are already being changed by forces that are completely different from those of the past. Cities will become the venues and “platforms” where this disruptive digital-based innovation is producing the greatest changes. What kinds of values should digital-based cities of the future seek to embody? What role should cities play in making humanity and the world more sustainable? At present, 80% of urbanization and 80% of new cities are being built in Asia. If the urbanization in Asia reflects on the lessons learned from the industrial age and seeks to embody new values of civilization, will that lead humanity into brighter futures? Common solutions for common problems should be needed. To achieve the common goal, cutting-edge digital technology with great innovation and leadership should be needed to combine to take new paths. The possibility space may be classified under three strategies – improving leadership competence of the government and urban issues leaders, developing integrated technology such as knowledge creation system of major urban industries and digital infrastructure, and organizing independent professional groups to advise city governments.
