Mega-challenges. Mega-opportunities.
A mega-city is usually defined as a metropolitan area with a total population in excess of 10 million people. And some definitions also set a minimum level for population density. Depending on which research you reference, there are approximately 30 mega-cities in the world today.
To put that in context, in the early 19th century, only 3% of the world's population lived in cities. But between 1950 and 2007, the number of global cities with populations exceeding one million rose sharply from 83 to 468. Today, the United Nations forecasts that our current urban population of 3.2 billion will rise to nearly 5 billion by 2030, when three out of five people will live in cities.
One million people are joining urban centers every week - and this is projected to continue until 2050.
From our perspective, this accelerating trend is both frightening and exhilarating - as every mounting challenge can be reframed as an opportunity for those bold enough to dig in.
Mega-cities clockwise from top left: Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Manila, Qingdao, Jakarta.
As global citizens, whether rooted in Los Angeles or New York or London, we see the impact of these urban migrations spreading across borders. But we know that there are upsides to globalization, and our goal is to take advantage of those scaling mechanics to drive positive change and economic prosperity.
We use our own mega-cities as inspiration, drawing from local successes and stumbles, while seeking collaborative relationships with large organizations who have the kind of scale required to really move the needle. And we recognize the power of truly human-centered design solutions to translate across cultures with minimal context adjustment.
To learn about how we apply our multi-disciplinary experience to accelerate impact, click here.