The world’s population is expected to increase by more than 20% in the coming decades, with this growth primarily occurring in urban areas and concentrated in specific regions. In the years ahead, we anticipate that metropolitan areas will continue to expand at a rapid rate, with some reaching populations of over 50 million. Simultaneously, other cities will contract due to low fertility, ageing populations, and demographic decline. In the upcoming years, cities will face the dual challenges of managing both expansion and contraction, while striving to become more livable and sustainable. In this talk, Rafael Prieto-Curiel will explore the challenges of making cities work for everyone.

About the speaker

Dr Rafael Prieto-Curiel is a Faculty Member at CSH Vienna, where he works on topics including violence, mobility, migration, and urban dynamics. He works for the OECD and the World Bank, where he conducts spatial and demographic analyses of cities. He is also Scientific Advisor at Aleph.

Previously, Rafael worked on urban dynamics as part of the Peak Urban project at the University of Oxford’s Mathematical Institute.

Prior to this, he was employed by the Police Department and the Emergency Attention Centre in Mexico City (C5) as Director of Strategic Analysis where his work focused on crime forecasting, police and resource allocation.

Rafael was awarded the “Science Breakthrough” award by the Falling Walls Foundation in 2024.