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    Future Urban Living

    CONTENTS

    Our goal

    Shaping innovative, resilient, and sustainable spaces for future generations

    By 2050, nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. While cities drive innovation and opportunity, they also face growing social, environmental, and economic pressures—from climate impacts and housing shortages to infrastructure strain and social fragmentation.With Future Urban Living, the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt aims to move beyond building “bigger and smarter” toward cities that promote social cohesion, resilience, adaptability, and connection. This includes recognizing how urban well-being is shaped by the communities, economies, and ecosystems around them.Creating thriving cities calls for collaboration across sectors and stronger ties with rural regions. Future-ready development must focus not only on smart growth, but also on shared well-being, participatory governance, and resilient systems that reflect diverse local realities.

    Rethinking Urban Development for Social Cohesion
    Cities shape daily life—but too often, development leads to social exclusion and ecological strain. We need holistic models that build civic trust, celebrate diversity, and strengthen the social fabric.Broad collaboration—across local leaders, businesses, tech-innovators, and community groups—is key. Real change happens when innovation reflects real needs and includes those typically left out of decision-making.
    Strengthening Urban–Rural Relationships
    Urban and rural areas are deeply connected. Cities rely on rural regions for essential resources; rural communities benefit from urban access to innovation and markets.We must move beyond outdated center-periphery thinking and enable mutual growth—through better connectivity, decentralized infrastructure, and more balanced distribution of opportunities.
    Advancing Climate Resiliencein Cities
    Cities face increasing risks—from floods and heatwaves to resource stress—but also offer powerful platforms for climate solutions.Scaling green infrastructure, smart energy systems, and nature-based design requires systemic action, not just piecemeal fixes. Bold policy, investment, and collaboration are essential to help cities adapt and thrive.

    Our Approach

    Driving collaboration for livable, future-ready cities

    The BMW Foundation supports solutions that integrate sustainability, equity, and economic vitality across urban systems.Our approach includes:

    • Cross-sector collaboration: Engaging business, policy, science, and civil society
    • Community-driven innovation: Supporting people-centered, place-based solutions
    • Systems thinking: Tackling complexity through integrated strategies
    • Global-local scaling: Adapting proven models across diverse contexts
    • Forward-looking leadership: Empowering changemakers to drive transformation
    Together, we aim to shape cities—and the regions around them—as dynamic, resilient, and collaborative spaces for a future-proof society.

    Building Trust in Urban Transformation
    Public trust is essential to the success of urban development. As cities evolve, concerns about affordability, identity, and exclusion can erode confidence and slow progress.To move forward, leaders across sectors must engage communities—urban and rural—to co-create solutions grounded in real needs and aspirations. This ensures innovation is not only ambitious, but also practical, inclusive, and widely supported.

    The InitiativeCollaborative Action Platform (CAP) Brazil

    The Collaborative Action Platform Brazil (CAP) is reimagining cities as innovative, sustainable, and resilient places ready to face the climate crisis. Focused on urban areas most vulnerable to climate risks, CAP supports local leaders and organizations by fostering collaboration, aligning resources, and scaling nature-based and climate adaptation solutions.We launched the Collaborative Action Platform in Brazil in response to growing urban challenges—from rapid urbanization and inadequate infrastructure to deep-rooted social inequality. Through integrated approaches like better urban planning, resilient infrastructure, and nature-based strategies, CAP helps cities adapt to climate change and deliver tangible benefits to their communities.

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