THE BIG IDEA
By Alexandra Ossola, deputy special projects editor
[img src=”https://cms.qz.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20180921-Bolivia-038.jpg?quality=80&strip=all” href=”https://qz.com/se/the-2050-project/”]
New York recently announced its plan to join a small group of cities worldwide (notably, London, Stockholm, Singapore, and Milan) that charges drivers to drive in the busiest urban areas. The plan, called congestion pricing, is supposed to reduce traffic and pollution, though critics (particularly drivers coming from New Jersey) say the tax is unfair. But New York City’s future depends on policy shifts like this one. Its population is projected to climb to about 25 million by 2050 (up from 19.4 million in 2010), and governments will need to be able to accommodate that growth, not to mention increasingly pressing environmental challenges.
Other cities are grappling with similar issues: by 2050, nearly 70% of the global population will live in cities, and leaders will have to rethink everything from housing and elderly care to energy production and conservation.
This population shift was the inspiration for Quartz’s The 2050 Project. From the “cholets” in El Alto, Bolivia (pictured above) that recover and celebrate local, indigenous culture in the midst of decolonization, to affordable housing in shipping containers in London, we visited some of the world’s most innovative buildings (and the cities around them) that present a vision of what our collective urban future will look like.
Happy exploring.
HANG OUT WITH US
[img src=”” href=”https://qz.com/1582811/the-complete-guide-to-the-battery-revolution/”]
Join membership editor Sam Grobart and reporter Akshat Rathi on Friday for a conference call during which we’ll discuss this week’s guide to the fascinating world of batteries (no, really).
Tune in at 11 a.m. ET via this link or call 1-888-240-2560 (meeting code 722-994-440).
P.S. Our conference calls are typically a ~*~members-only affair~*~, but for this week, we’re opening it up to the loyal readers of this email.
EDITORS’ PICK
“But here’s the catch: If banning single-use plastics drives an uptick in paper use, that will be swapping one massive environmental problem for another.” – Zoë Schlanger, The problem with turning to paper after the EU’s plastic ban
SOMETHING WE LEARNED FROM OUR READERS
“When making strategic brand decisions that affect the customer experience, DO NOT focus solely on the dollars saved from making a change. Think instead ‘will my customers be happy with us or not?’ Consumers are fickle and finance people do not realize this. ‘But we will save 20% in labor! This is a great idea!’ says the CFO. But if people stop buying your product you save nothing. You deposit dollars in the bank not margin points.” – Greg V., “‘Are you going to change the name?’: Chopt is no longer chopping its salads by default, and people are furious”
OUR PICKS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Quartz Africa reporter Lynsey Chutel recommends the Keyes Art Mile in Johannesburg: “Here, Jo’burg seems less intimidating, and there’s a diversity of local tastes in a globalized context. You can wander around the contemporary art galleries or virtual reality exhibitions, or grab a healthy fresh lunch or a gourmet dinner. And the best part is it’s one of the few places in this car-loving city that lends itself to walking.”
ONE MORE THING
Want to make sense of the Pinterest IPO? Put it on a board.
Best wishes for a thought-filled and productive week.
[img src=”” href=”https://qz.com/1094404/qoobo-is-the-ideal-cat-just-a-fur-pillow-with-a-wagging-tail/”]