Open questions

A typical urban dweller or many different types ?

A relatively unrealistic self-portrait

When they describe themselves as they are now or in the future, city dwellers are at times very blunt. The sharpness of the contours, and above all its discrepancy with the current reality, give the impression that they do not really see themselves as made for city living, as they do not have the necessary profile or resources.

The typical city dweller as seen by his peers is thirty-something, single and childless. He or she lives within a dense but superficial social network. They are seen in the near future as a pawn in the race towards productivity, living in a uniform and cold environment.

Within this context, the city is represented as a place of exclusion, where there will be no room for families and children, society's most disadvantaged and the more elderly.

In fact, the reality from the Observatory's findings is quite the contrary. It reflects a diverse urban life far removed from what is depicted by those who live in the city.

Two thirds of the urban population is active and includes more employees and workers than executives and professionals.
The majority are over 35, except in Alexandria and Mexico City.

Generally speaking, city dwellers have few children; indeed, two thirds have no children. Yet, most live in households of three or more people.

These averages conceal differences between cities that are in fact indicators of local lifestyles and cultures.
A detailed reading of the survey results shows a marked divide between the city dwellers in developed and emerging countries. Socio-economic conditions contribute strongly to the way each person depicts his or her city and the feelings he or she has towards it.

Caught between aspirations and needs

The self-portrait of the city dweller reveals an ambivalent love-hate relationship with the city.While they are quick to criticize their living environment, they are very supportive of the fact that everything they need or want is within easy reach. Potential hyper-consumers, they complain about the cost of living and are actually very restrained where their activities are concerned, as they are largely focused on work and transportation issues. They define the city as a place where you meet people but are critical of the superficiality of relations and feel isolated. They also regret seeing themselves reduced to anonymous numbers in an environment over which they have very limited control. City dwellers are therefore people who have difficulty in managing their contradictions. In most cities, they also appear to be drawn between the desire to leave and the need to stay, by the desire not to raise their children there and on the contrary the desire to provide them with the best the city can offer.

The city is an ideal setting for projecting both one's hopes and anxieties. The population density and sheer size of cities exacerbate the need to express negative feelings even though the majority of city dwellers claim to be satisfied with their life in the city.

Four major concerns about life in the city: cost of living, safety, the environment and transportation

The Veolia Observatory has highlighted four points that are perceived as major issues today and for the future by all the city dwellers in the sample, all cities and population respondents combined.

Unanimous concern about the cost of living

The cost of living is, along with safety, the prime criterion used to assess the quality of city life. It is also seen as the first factor liable to significantly improve living conditions, ahead of safety issues even. Economic anxiety transcends all national divides, and leads to a demand that is closely tied to the notion of economic success. In all cities, there is the fear of seeing the city organized, even more than it is today, as a place for the wealthy, from which all individuals that do not fit the mold of economic and social success would be excluded.

Lack of safety, a latent and universal feeling

The sense of a lack of safety is a constant concern.
The 30-year projection reveals violence as the most sensitive issue. Today latent, it becomes a source of anxiety.
In reaction to this anxiety, the city of the future is described as a place saturated with cameras. The desire for more light can be decoded as the wish for greater spatial reliability.

The environment under challenge

City dwellers are increasingly concerned about the management of the environment, especially with regard to traffic, air and water quality, and green spaces.
Even if it does not seem to be a sufficiently important factor to undermine the desire to live in the city, the current level of dissatisfaction weighs heavily on how people perceive the urban space.

Transportation, a key factor in city life

Transportation is one of the main concerns of city dwellers. While they highly appreciate the ease with which they can get from one place to another, they also hate the traffic jams that are a feature of cities.
The desire to control the number of cars in cities appears to be one of the main issues for the future, and can even go so far as a call for the banning of cars from the city altogether.

Culture and leisure, defining attachment

Cultural and entertainment activities are an important qualitative factor for city dwellers. Culture in particular is a factor in a city's international renown that is highly appreciated. It makes the city a dynamic space, attractive to the outside world and fosters a sense of pride in belonging to the city.

In the final analysis, the Observatory's conclusions are reassuring. Even if they are critical and concerned, city dwellers are far from wanting to opt out from their cities and they have the impression of being among the privileged, even if they see this situation as being unstable or a source of anxiety. Improving the living conditions and boosting the attractiveness of the city dweller's status are priorities for the city of the future. Will population growth allow these demands to be met?

City managers and authorities must therefore come up with answers to these challenges. To help them to make informed choices, Veolia Environnement is happy to make this Observatory available to them. The survey will be completed by others, at two year intervals, enabling an extension of the scope to other cities and exploring the issues and problems identified in more depth.
Veolia will also be inviting all city stakeholders and experts in the field to join in this initiative by contributing their own input.