Appendix 1

In the 1950s, only 750 million people lived in cities. In 2018, the world’s cities were home to 4.2 billion
people, which was about 55% of the population at the time. Scientists have estimated that by 2050,
about 70% of the population will live in urban areas. But what will the cities of the future look like?

‘If we don’t do anything to prepare for this expansion, the cities of the future will be noisy, polluted and
overcrowded,’ says Dr Stuart Smith, a scientist who specializes in urban geography. ‘But it doesn’t have
to be like that. Governments around the world are already trying to come up with innovative solutions.
There have been some success stories and, in my opinion, the most striking is that of Nur-Sultan in
Kazakhstan.’

Nur-Sultan is one of the fastest growing cities in Central Asia. In the early 1990s, it was a small city with
a population of about 280,000 people. Over the next two decades, it was completely rebuilt, becoming
the new capital of Kazakhstan. Today, more than a million people live in the city. Such rapid growth is
usually associated with a sharp decline in the quality of life, but this hasn’t been the case in Nur-Sultan.
‘I didn’t think this was possible,’ says Dr Smith. ‘ If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have
believed it. There are amazing futuristic buildings designed by world famous architects, a lot of green
spaces, a free Wi-Fi network and a very efficient public transport system.’

So, what makes Nur-Sultan different, and why has it been so successful? The answer is smart urban
planning, according to Dr Smith.Before construction began in the late 1990s, the government of
Kazakhstan asked urban planners from all over the world to submit proposals for the new capital, and
then chose the best one. Technology has played a major role, too. In 2012, the authorities created an
innovation organization called Astana Innovations. It has helped to develop urban planning tools which
predict the impact of new infrastructure on citizens’ lives. In 2016, the Smart Astana app was launched.
The app offers more than 100 services – for example, you can use it to order a taxi, buy tickets for a
concert, make a doctor’s appointment, receive notifications from school, write recommendations about
public services and much more. ‘It’s brilliant,’ says Dr Smith. ‘ If I lived in Nur-Sultan, I’d use it every day.I
think European and American cities have a lot to learn from Nur-Sultan. It truly is a city of the future.’