Due to recent developments in urban living, cities around us are constantly changing. Urban environments are changing all around the world in a number of ways, and here's a couple scenarios.

1. Asian Cities Lead the List of Most Expensive Places to Live:

Singapore has surpassed Shanghai to become the most expensive city in the world, according to the Julius Baer Lifestyle Index's annual evaluation. The region with the highest cost was Asia with Hong Kong dropping from fourth to third place, and Bangkok going from 15th to 11th. Rising living expenses can be attributed to the demand for luxury goods, supply chain disruptions, inflation, and currency changes.

2. Trees Reduce Urban Heat-Related Deaths: A study that was published in The Lancet found that nearly one-third of the premature deaths in cities caused by high heat might be avoided by planting 30% more urban trees. Every year, extreme urban heat is blamed for thousands of deaths globally. By reducing mean temperatures by 0.4°C and mitigating the consequences of the urban heat island effect, more trees might be planted in 93 European cities, potentially saving 2,644 lives. It has been shown that trees naturally lower metropolitan temperatures and encourage more chilly, healthier urban settings.

3. The Urban Transformation Agenda for Davos 2023:

The takeaways from Davos 2023 are based on the significance of public-private partnerships, the role that entrepreneurs will play=, the influence of technology on urban transformation, and the adoption of nature for sustainable urban development. destiny cities are affected by the principles of the circular economy, climate action, and other broader factors shaping our shared destiny.

4. Green 'Mycocrete' Revolutionizing Construction: Scientists at Newcastle University developed an innovative building material called mycocrete by utilizing knitted molds and the fungal root network. Compared to previous bio-based construction materials, mycocrete is more resilient and versatile, making it a sustainable alternative to traditional building materials. A product of the process that has the ability to significantly reduce the negative environmental consequences of the building industry is produced by injecting a combination of mycelium into knitted formwork.

5. Autonomous transportation and the world's first flying taxi are introduced by a Chinese start-up. EHang achieved a significant milestone when the EH216-S, an autonomous flying taxi, was granted the first-ever certificate of airworthiness. A significant step has been taken toward the public launch of autonomous air taxi services with the approval from China's Civil Aviation Administration. In the near future, it is anticipated that flying taxis and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft would reduce urban travel times and speed up city transportation by up to 75%.

Sources: 

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/12/urban-transformation-stories-2023/