The closing plenary session, titled “50 Forward: Urbanism for the Future” revolved around solving problems related to scale and scope in an already predominantly urban planet. Citing problems such as displacement, inequality, environmental degradation and resource scarcity, CTBUH hosted three expert presenters to enlighten what “responsive, responsible, and accommodating urbanism” can achieve.

Moshe Safdie, speaking as the final presenter of the closing plenary, cast his vision for creating more livable, connected and adaptive urban environments.  In it he emphasized urban design concepts, which strive to create a new order, and imaginative designs, which respond to this potential, are key to the future of the city—and the life within it.

Other closing plenary speakers included Karim Kalifa from Sidewalk Labs and Bjarke Ingles from Bjarke Ingles Group.

Visit the CTBUH "50 Forward | 50 Back" site for more event details, and the speakers page for a listing of participants and their full abstracts.