The consultation programme was designed with several principles in mind:

• Maximize collaborative working time. The consultation was designed to maximize the time for participants to work closely with each other in small group break out groups. This facilitated optimal information exchange and network experience
• Harnessing Collective Insight. The participants were experts in each of the topic areas. The design of the programme aimed to harness the collective intelligence and experience of the participants in order to produce new insights and perspectives about the future of urban living in the new post pandemic context

In designing the Consultation, the aim was to:

• Bring together almost 30 invited global experts from 18 counties and 5 continents. The consultation guests were from key areas such as climate change, energy, food, smart cities, agriculture, urban planning, architecture, transportation, sociology and work. These individuals brought recognised expertise to the discussion but, equally importantly, a clear sense of the relationship between their expertise and the future of urban living.
• Review the scenarios and outcomes from the previous Future of Urban Living consultation.
• Explore key topic areas in light of the pandemic and the relation to the future of urban living in 2050. The key topic areas, which were held in breakout sessions were:
  • Social Fabric and Structure
  • Distribution of Power and Influence
  • Geographic and Demographic Distribution
  • Future of City Lifestyles – impact of automation
  • The Built Environment
  • Smart Cities and Application of Technology
  • Resource Cycle (Food, Air and Water, etc)
  • Movement and Mobility

• Understand the complexity of the topic. This consultation process outlined the complex and interrelated forces that are combining to shape the future of urban living in 2050 and the impact of the Covid-19 global pandemic on these forces.

The results from the consultation will inform a ‘Future of Urban Living Post Pandemic’ report, which will be published by Future iQ and St George’s House and shared with the participants to enhance their work going forward.