What the Cities of the Future Will Look Like
They’re smart, high tech—and possibly determining the future of diplomacy.
The cities of the future are here—or, at least, in the works. From Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s dreams of Neom, a $500 billion planned city, to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambitions for the city of Xiongan, which he calls his “personal initiative,” so-called smart cities are being built from the ground up, to considerable global skepticism.
The cities of the future are here—or, at least, in the works. From Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s dreams of Neom, a $500 billion planned city, to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambitions for the city of Xiongan, which he calls his “personal initiative,” so-called smart cities are being built from the ground up, to considerable global skepticism.
In this edition of Flash Points, we explore how cities, new and old, provide glimpses into global leaders’ ambitions and how they’re changing as the surveillance state expands, urban populations grow, and local governments become increasingly important to state-level diplomacy.—Chloe Hadavas
An aerial view of the citizen service center of the Xiongan New Area in China on June 2, 2018. VCG via Getty Images
China’s Futuristic City Is a Test of Its Planning Power
Xiongan is a window into Xi Jinping’s ambitions, Andrew Stokols writes.
Farmers harvest wheat in a field in Tabuk in April 2016. The province has been tapped for the location of a high-tech megacity called Neom. MOHAMED HWAITY/AFP via Getty Images
Mohammed bin Salman’s Bloody Dream City of Neom
Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion planned high-tech city involves forced evictions and vague promises of compensation, Sarah Leah Whitson and Abdullah Alaoudh write.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, left, and Zhihang Chi, Air China’s vice president for North America, at Los Angeles International Airport on Feb. 19, 2015. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
Cities Will Determine the Future of Diplomacy
Urban centers are taking international relations into their own hands, Nina Hachigian writes.
Pedestrians walk near a massive electronic screen supported by a face recognition system, which shows the image of a jaywalker at an intersection, in Nanjing, China, on July 4, 2019. Traffic police in Nanjing use facial recognition technology to capture jaywalkers. Wang Feng/Imaginechina/Reuters
‘Smart’ Cities Are Surveilled Cities
When everyone and everything is connected, the door is open to all kinds of digital threats, Robert Muggah and Greg Walton write.
A woman walks upstairs in Jardim Peri, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city of São Paulo on June 12, 2018.Victor Moriyama/Getty Images
The Future of Development Is Local
To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the world will have to shift its thinking from the national toward the urban, Xavier Michon and Jaffer Machano write.
More from Foreign Policy
Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.
Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.
The West’s False Choice in Ukraine
The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.
The Masterminds
Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day, written by Alexandra Sharp. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
Join the Conversation
Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription.
Already a subscriber? .
Subscribe Subscribe
View Comments
Join the Conversation
Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now.
Subscribe Subscribe
Not your account?
View Comments
Join the Conversation
Please follow our comment guidelines, stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs.