Gregory Hodkinsin, the chairman of the engineering giant Arup Group, has warned that cities must adapt to climate change and booming population growth within the timespan of a single generation. 

“If we don’t, in my view, we’re screwed: my children and my grandchildren and everybody else’s children," Hodkinsin told the Guardian. "We need to find a way to do this rapid urbanisation in a way that’s not going to kill us – and to do it once.”

Climate change and urban population growth are "twinned" challenges for a variety of reasons. As global temperatures rise, an increase in natural disasters and resource-driven conflict will likely drive displaced populations to urban centers, where shelter and access to basic necessities are more available. This is a pattern already emerging, for instance, in the mass migration of refugees from Syria and Iraq into Europe and elsewhere.

Cities currently house more than half of the world's population – and will most likely have to shelter up to 70% in the imminent future. This means that the quantity and manner of urban consumption has, and will continue to have, a determining effect on both greenhouse gas emissions and resource allocation.

The urgency of Hodkinsin's warning is based on the generally slow time line of urban construction. How we build today will determine how we live far into the future. And the window for learning – and implementing – intelligent, adaptive, and economical building practices is small as global temperatures continue to rise.

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