10. THE PERSONALIZED CITY

As micro-apartment complexes rise and tech-savvy entrepreneurs reshape the economy, the low-skilled working poor are being pushed out of city centers to suburbs. This fortifies the traditional pattern in Europe, reverses a century of suburban escape in the US, and dispatches the poor to areas where public and social services are unequipped to meet their needs.

In 2016, growth trends for The Personalized City strengthen. It is defined by smaller living spaces augmented by innovative transportation, as well as entertainment and services networks that tie residents and their activities closely together to meet personal wants and community needs. In effect, the city becomes their living room, kitchen, playroom and more. From aging boomers, who want old Main Street conveniences, to 20-somethings, who with nothing more than an idea and a smartphone can scratch out a living delivering dry cleaning or takeout food to the upwardly mobile who have more money than time, a Personalized City that fulfills personal needs will experience a real estate boom even in an economic downturn.

Trend Forecast: In 2016, the trend of cities throughout the developed world to accommodate the young, old, needy and time-pressed will create even more new businesses and new markets as part of an urban and ex-urban renaissance. While Personalized Cities will create a wide range of opportunities, too much of a good thing will bring too many people to cities that cannot accommodate the heavy influx.