Most cities are growing quickly, with the majority of growth projected to be in low-income countries in Africa and Asia. By 2050, 6.5 billion people will live in urban centres – two-thirds of the projected world population.

Urban living offers many benefits to residents including more job opportunities and higher incomes, and to businesses including lower input costs, greater collaboration and innovation opportunities. But urbanisation – especially if it is rapid – also brings challenges.

City governments and policy-makers must plan for and manage the impacts of urbanisation on poverty, inequality, employment, services, transport, climate change and politics. Only by addressing these interconnected issues, and both the technical and political barriers to change, can they ensure a good quality of life for millions of urban dwellers.

Meera Murali, Clare Cummings, Joseph Feyertag, Stephen Gelb, Tom Hart, Amina Khan, Ian Langdown and Paula Lucci