NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Cities around the globe are set to face increasingly complex challenges in the coming decades. With the number of people in urban areas projected to swell by 2.5 billion over the next 30 years — growing from more than half of the global population to 68% by 2050 — cities will play an important role in ensuring progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.

With the vast majority of this growth expected in Africa and Asia, these trends will exacerbate existing urban issues, which are already under high pressure from overcrowding, pollution, climate change, diseases, waste, and inadequate housing. Ensuring sustainable and prosperous cities will require innovative, joined-up strategies that work toward smarter cities in which resources are used more effectively and equally.

This event, hosted by Devex in partnership with KPMG, will explore the various ways cities can incorporate innovative strategies to both manage urban challenges and accelerate progress on the SDGs, while also supporting cities to build back stronger following the COVID-19 pandemic.

New partnerships and innovative collaborations will be key in supporting the sustainable cities of the future. The event will therefore also take a deeper look at how the United for Smart and Sustainable Cities initiative is already providing support to cities around the globe and how it can be scaled to 10,000 cities with over 50,000 people by 2030.

This event will include live captioning.

Time: 10 a.m. ET | 4 p.m. CET