Emerging Trends Are Reshaping the Future of Urban Planning

RALEIGH, N.C., February 11, 2019 (Newswire.com) - Artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, the sharing economy, rapidly advancing construction tools, and the internet of things--these are just a few of the trends and technologies that will impact the future of cities and metropolitan regions, according to futurist Jack Uldrich.

Uldrich, an urban futurist and best-selling author, is in Raleigh today to speak at the 2019 ULI Carolina's Meeting being held at the Raleigh Convention Center. His keynote, titled "The Big AHA: How to Future-Proof your Business Against Tomorrow’s Transformational Trends, Today," will focus on these trends and others that are transforming land use, real estate, economic development, and urban planning. AHA is Uldrich's acronym for Awareness, Humility, and Action which he says, "are the cornerstone of great leadership."

Regardless of what new technologies emerge, however, Uldrich cautions "against betting heavily on any particular technology and instead advocates the use of 'future-proofing' plans providing enough flexibility to adjust to whatever is to come."

In addition to identifying important trends, Uldrich "connects the dots" by showing how many seemingly disparate advancements converge to drive new innovations. An example he cites is how Airbnb, a company launched on the idea of renting airbeds to strangers, is having a significant impact on real estate prices in major cities around the world.

According to Uldrich, "More cities and economic development agencies are starting to hire futurists, and it makes good sense. City planners are often so bogged down with what is happening right now that they don't always have the time to take a deep dive into the technological advances that will impact the future."

Uldrich encourages his economic development and urban planning clients to be aware of the emerging trends that will continue to radically shift both urban and rural cultures and shares specific actions that they can begin taking right away to be better prepared for the changes these trends and technologies will bring.

Uldrich has spoken to ULI groups throughout the country, and today is his second keynote for a ULI group this month. On February 11th, he shared his research and insights with leaders at ULI-Central FL. His many other urban planning and economic development clients include the US Chamber of Commerce, The Manitoba Chamber of Commerce, ULI-Arizona, ULI-Atlanta, The Future of North Carolina Forum, the Downtown Council of Minneapolis, the Savannah Economic Development Agency, the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, the City of Glendora, CA, and the Miami Downtown Development Agency.

To learn more about Jack Uldrich, his books, his writing, or his speaking availability, please visit his website. 

Source: Jack Uldrich & The School of Unlearning