DUBAI: The World Governments Summit (WGS), in partnership with Arthur D. Little (ADL), has launched a new report titled “Urban Futures and Changing Demographics: Transforming Cities of the Future Through Customer-Centricity,” outlining a long-term vision for urban development towards 2070 and stressing the importance of customer-centricity in driving future wellbeing.

The report calls on smart cities worldwide to adopt more personalised, people-focused approaches to urban planning and service delivery, warning that failure to do so could see cities fall behind amid rapid technological and demographic change. It examines the defining features of customer-centric cities and the key drivers shaping the smart cities of the future, while offering practical insights and guidance for policymakers seeking to harness technology to better serve human needs.

According to the report, urban areas are now home to more than half of the world’s population, yet rapid urbanisation has contributed to declining levels of overall liveability. A customer-centric city, it notes, seeks to address this imbalance by delivering personalised, sustainable, and engaging urban experiences that integrate digital technologies with citizen participation in planning and decision-making.

The report highlights customer-centricity as a long-term, proactive approach to technology adoption that enables personalisation at scale. It outlines how future cities are expected to evolve through the use of artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and adaptive infrastructure capable of responding to real-time needs. Urban environments are also expected to shift towards more intuitive, low-effort interaction models, supported by neuro-responsive public spaces and bio-integrated infrastructure that evolves autonomously through proactive maintenance and real-time data.

It further notes that public services are likely to become increasingly automated through artificial intelligence, while maintaining human oversight to ensure trust and accountability, and that cities will need to adapt infrastructure and operations to address climate risks and safeguard public safety and liveability. The report warns that hundreds of coastal cities could face heightened flood risks by mid-century, underscoring the urgency of climate-adaptive urban planning.

Looking ahead to 2070, the report envisions cities characterised by real-time digital twins modelling neighbourhoods, semi-autonomous infrastructure ecosystems, AI-supported transport and education systems, and climate-resilient megacities, including floating districts and urban centres powered entirely by fusion and renewable energy.

To translate this vision into reality, the report emphasises the need for city leaders to articulate a clear urban identity, ensure inclusive digital access to services, build flexible data platforms capable of supporting future technologies, and expand the use of wellbeing indicators alongside traditional service metrics. It also highlights the importance of testing new urban service models through pilot zones and regulated sandboxes, strengthening transparency and public trust through clear governance frameworks, and embedding sustainability and resilience across all aspects of city development.

Commenting on the report, Samir Imran, Partner for Travel, Transportation and Hospitality at Arthur D. Little Middle East, said that smart cities succeed when technology is designed to serve people, adding that placing citizens at the centre of digital innovation enables cities to become more liveable, sustainable, and competitive.

The report is available at: https://www.worldgovernmentssummit.org/observer/reports/detail/urban-futures-and-changing-demographics