Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Europe / Unspecified, Europe
Changing rainfall patterns and heat waves strain agriculture and urban supplies. Basin-level modelling and demand-management platforms can help cities and farmers adapt.
climate-environment
europe
europe-unspecified
water-scarcity
water
scarcity
droughts
increasingly
affecting
southern
changing
rainfall
patterns
urban
cities
african
climate
global-unspecified
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Migrants move to cities seeking work but end up in slums with precarious livelihoods and poor services. Slum-upgrading programs linked to livelihood support can break this cycle.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
cities
urban
poverty
growing
informal
settlements
even
expand
migrants
move
climate-environment
african
water
systems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Boardrooms and parliaments remain male-dominated. Quotas and mentorship programs can accelerate change.
society-governance
global-unspecified
representation
women
leadership
remains
low
boardrooms
parliaments
remain
male-dominated
quotas
change
governance
building
cities
faster
social-civic-problems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Untreated sewage pollutes rivers and coasts. Decentralized treatment plants and enforcement are needed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
wastewater
rarely
treated
discharge
cities
untreated
sewage
pollutes
rivers
coasts
urban
african
water
systems
whether
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Water planning based on historical norms is becoming unreliable. Scenario-based planning and storage investments are needed.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
climate-change
climate
change
altering
rainfall
patterns
drought
frequency
planning
water
based
society-governance
governance
cities
building
urban
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Non-revenue water undermines sustainability. IoT leak detection and smart metering can reduce losses.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
water
urban
utilities
lose
large
shares
leaks
theft
non-revenue
undermines
african
don
cities
whether
asia
long
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Top-down planning can ignore local needs. Participatory approaches can improve outcomes.
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
planning
energy
rarely
incorporates
community
input
top-down
ignore
local
needs
society-governance
african
cities
urban
climate-environment
approaches
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Rural and low-income areas lag behind cities, limiting digital opportunity. Community networks and universal service policies can help.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
access
reliable
broadband
remains
uneven
rural
low-income
areas
lag
behind
might
local
actors
mathematics-logic
social-civic-problems
african
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Car-centric planning causes gridlock and accidents. Mass transit and safe walking-cycling infrastructure are needed.
society-governance
global-unspecified
urban
transport
systems
congested
unsafe
car-centric
planning
causes
gridlock
accidents
public
technology-computing
climate-environment
african
cities
without
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
High urban housing costs exceed incomes. Affordable housing finance and supply-side interventions can help.
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
housing
affordability
crises
push
families
precarious
living
conditions
high
urban
affordable
african
resources
cities
economics-resources
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Vehicle and industrial emissions drive smog. Emission standards and clean transport can improve air.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
air
urban
quality
worsening
cities
vehicle
industrial
emissions
drive
smog
african
pollution
society-governance
asia
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Floods, earthquakes, and storms hit ill-prepared cities. Risk-sensitive planning and early-warning systems can reduce impacts.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
urban
disaster
risk
management
underdeveloped
floods
earthquakes
storms
hit
ill-prepared
systems
cities
society-governance
african
water
climate
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Cities expand into floodplains and coasts. Climate-informed spatial planning can reduce exposure.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
urban-planning
planning
urban
rarely
integrates
long-term
climate
risks
cities
expand
floodplains
society-governance
african
change
governance
systems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Sprawl cuts off wildlife movement. Green infrastructure and planning can mitigate fragmentation.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
urban
expansion
fragments
natural
habitats
sprawl
cuts
off
wildlife
movement
african
cities
systems
informal
haven
planning
Growing passenger and cargo flows strain outdated airports and limited direct flight routes between African cities, increasing travel time and cost. Investment in regional aviation hubs and open-skies agreements could improve connectivity.
local-regional
africa
regional
connectivity
air
traffic
infrastructure
lag
behind
demand
growing
african
global-unspecified
access
cities
social-civic-problems
remains
asia
Smart-city initiatives often launch without robust cybersecurity planning, leaving infrastructure vulnerable to cyber attacks. City-level cyber-resilience frameworks and local incident-response teams are needed.
technology-computing
africa
cybersecurity
african
cities
face
increasing
risks
digitize
public
services
smart-city
society-governance
economics-resources
global-unspecified
infrastructure
urban
systems
Lack of formal addresses complicates delivery, emergency response, and financial inclusion. Digital addressing using GPS and community verification could solve this efficiently.
technology-computing
africa
reliable
address
systems
missing
african
cities
rural
areas
lack
formal
society-governance
digital
global-unspecified
access
urban
Response times are long due to traffic, poor coordination, and scarce vehicles. Tech-enabled ambulance dispatch and motorcycle first responder networks could reduce mortality.
health-biology
africa
access
emergency
medical
services
such
ambulances
limited
african
cities
response
global-unspecified
urban
rural
remains
asia
Rising seas and storms may force relocation of neighborhoods, but proactive plans are rare. Scenario-based urban resilience planning and relocation frameworks are urgently needed.
climate-environment
africa
planning
african
coastal
cities
lack
robust
contingency
climate-driven
migration
relocation
global-unspecified
society-governance
governance
change
urban
systems
Sparse populations and poor roads make rural delivery expensive, limiting e-commerce expansion beyond cities. Shared rural delivery hubs and route-optimization software could reduce costs.
technology-computing
africa
delivery
rural
costs
african
logistics
startups
face
high
last-mile
low-density
economics-resources
access
remains
public
urban
global-unspecified