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S
mart urbanization,
household atomization,
a purpose economy,
new geography of life,
human-to-human expe-
rience. These concepts
surface when KONE’s
head of Technology and R&D
Giuseppe
Bilardello
and Design Director
Anne
Stenros
envision the prospect of sus-
tainable cities.
But what are the trends behind these
terms? Do they serve as a source of
innovation for KONE and how can they
be harnessed to build sustainable urban
environments of the future?
Understanding the complexity
The megatrends driving KONE’s
business are urbanization, demographic
change, concern for the environment
and safety. However, the evolvement
of future cities is influenced by more
complex and interlinked developments.
For KONE, these global macrotrends
need to be followed very carefully.
According to Stenros, the complex-
ity begins with urbanization. “We must
understand that what’s happening in
Nairobi is different from what goes on
in Sao Paolo, Shanghai, Los Angeles or
even Paris.”
In the US and Europe, for example,
the rise of solo-living is emerging as
both young and elderly people move
TEXT
Eveliina Linderborg
PHOTOS
Jenni-Justiina Niemi
and
Gareth Blackett
For more than 100 years, KONE has been in the business to innovate and
imagine the future. In anticipation of another successful century, KONE R&D
executives take an in-depth look at complex trends poised to drive change and
shape tomorrow’s urban environments.
Sustainability at
the core of future cities
out from suburban areas to live in city
centers. As a result of this changing
household landscape, the population
density gradually increases. The pace of
growth in Africa and Asia is significantly
faster. Stenros notes that continuing
population growth and urbanization are
projected to add 2.5 billion people to
the world’s urban population by 2050,
with nearly 90 percent of the increase
concentrated in Asia and Africa.
Bilardello suggests that the complex-
ity of changing demographics should
not go unnoticed either. In addition
to aging populations and the growing
number of middle-incomers in today’s
cities, more attention should be put on
the shifts happening around education,
employment and changing lifestyles.
“The working environments of to-
morrow are transforming. People travel
more and remote working is becoming
popular,” he says. “The future of work
will change dramatically with less office
workers and more telecommuters.” This
has direct implication when planning for
office buildings, he points out.
In addition to “geography of life”,
meaning and purpose is playing a
INNOVATION
Giuseppe Bilardello
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