Future Cities

I attended the Expert Talk entitled The Future Cities last week. Future Cities are the cities people would like to stay and everyone will have their own vitality. The concept of Future Cities arises because it is projected that more than 70% of World population will be living in the urban area by year 2050. Hence, cities that conducive for living is crucial to accommodate to the need of these people. Rightly so, as city without a good living environment and opportunities will loss out to other cities offering better condition, and thus loss the competitiveness and vibrancy. My question however, is that what happen to the 30% people who are living in the so called "rural" area? Are we saying that the living environment in the "rural" area is so futuristic that no further action is required? Or are we saying that these people have no future since they are no staying in any of the future cities? Then again, future cities must be resilient on overcoming environmental degradation, emerging of aging society, challenges from the globalisation and also capitalising on local competencies. While aging and globalisation is unavoidable and progressively happen over time and in fast pace in which most of the time beyond control and influence, local competencies are something that any city managers and stakeholders should explore further. A city with future vision must explore their advantages and transform it effectively or else the competitive edge of the city will be diminished.