City

There could be mixed fortunes for Britain’s cities over the next 50 years. Some – like London, Bristol and Edinburgh – are set to expand considerably, according to our Connected Britain research . London is likely to see a 40% rise in population, while West Country hotspots such as Bath could grow by even more.

Many of Britain’s big cities could see a major decline in population, however, with Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield potentially facing a considerable drop in the number of residents within their boundaries.

So for some cities, concepts such as the eco high rise – in which houses, gardens and even farms, are housed together in single vertical structures – could definitely become a reality, while for others the ease in pressure for space could mean a decline in house prices and the opportunity for those who remain to get much more space for their money.

The introduction of universal connectivity is likely to mean a gradual change in our movement patterns. For example, common current niggles like the morning and evening rush hour could become a thing of the past. In the longer term we could also see the birth of ‘virtual’ cities – in which hundreds or even thousands of businesses all exist within a single building, with their employees spread right across the UK – turning the concept of living and working in our dream locations from fantasy into reality.