Megacity report highlights urban planning

Research conducted by GlobeScan and MRC McLean Hazel and supported by Siemens shows that in emerging megacities infrastructure growth often takes precedence over the environment.

This is just one of the key findings of a survey of 522 decision makers from 25 global metropolises. Experts presented the results of the research in a press conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Solving transportation issues has the highest priority in the cities surveyed, and air pollution is seen as the main environmental issue. Survey respondents believe that the private sector should play a major role in city infrastructures like energy, water, transportation and health care. More than 70 per cent of them believe that public private partnerships are a promising approach.

Respondents see the enormous strain on the environment caused by the huge increase in the number of cars worldwide as a major urban issue. Air pollution and traffic are the most frequently named environmental challenges for megacities. In Shanghai alone, the number of cars and trucks is expected to quadruple by 2020.