One size no longer ‘fits all’ as cities focus on health, well-being: KPMG Report

One size no longer ‘fits all’ as cities focus on health, well-being: KPMG Report

Health and well-being are taking center stage among cities looking to create a unique and reimagined future for urban life, leaving behind the ‘one-size-fits-all’ mindset of the world’s urban planners for the last 100 years, according to KPMG’s Future of Cities publication. The COVID-19 pandemic’s profound impact revved the pace of emerging changes that today hold undeniable implications for the decline of the traditional ‘centralized city’ model and the future of cities. “Cities are now at a historic inflection point as health, sustainability and community well-being gain – new prominence in the public eye,” commented Ismail Alani, Head of Government and Public Sector at KPMG in Saudi Arabia. The long-embraced key assumptions of traditional urban planning are being challenged, he stated, as cities and their leaders take a hard look at how they will rethink the future. The Saudi Arabian government is placing people at the center of urban transformation. Among the many forward-looking city project is “The Line” in the US$ 500 billion NEOM digital transformation megaproject. The Line will be connected by high-speed transit and autonomous mobility solutions, serving an estimated population of one million residents. It will have no conventional cars or roads a decision aimed at