World Solve

Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving urban planning ignoring nature. Conventional approaches have proven insufficient. The required intervention must integrate community knowledge, data and appropriate technology while remaining affordable, privacy-preserving and operable with minimal external support. Strong solutions will articulate measurable impact metrics, risk mitigation strategies, and a plan for sustained operation by local actors after the pilot phase.

Urban planning models often omit informal homes, businesses, infrastructure, and social networks. The unresolved problem is creating useful digital representations without enabling eviction, surveillance, or land speculation. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.

Distributed biotech facilities may bring innovation closer to communities while introducing new biosafety and waste-management requirements. Cities need transparent zoning, monitoring, emergency planning, and public participation. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.

Automation could eliminate jobs in some regions while creating new opportunities elsewhere, reversing long-standing urbanization patterns. Cities need adaptable housing, education, transport, and fiscal systems for population movement that is difficult to forecast. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.

Urban growth, migration, and climate change will outpace traditional master planning. The challenge is designing governance that can revise land use, service delivery, and infrastructure priorities continuously without becoming arbitrary. This becomes particularly difficult in post-conflict institutions, because public institutions must remain fair, resilient, and accountable while adapting to new risks.

Drought, salinization, erosion, and heat may displace people gradually rather than through one visible disaster. The open problem is creating legal pathways, funding mechanisms, and host-community planning before displacement becomes coercive. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.

Many agricultural and infrastructure systems are designed around historical seasons that may no longer exist. A useful solution must help governments revise calendars, reservoirs, insurance, crops, and public budgets under deep uncertainty. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.

States may invest in national AI systems for education, law, defense, planning, and public administration. The unresolved problem is ensuring such systems remain bounded by law, reviewable by citizens, and resistant to capture by narrow interests. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where legacy systems, coordination failures, and weak oversight can magnify harm.

Demand will outpace supply of clinicians unless task-shifting, automation, and new professions emerge. Workforce-planning analytics and training platforms can support transitions.

Research, tourism, and fishing generate emissions and local effects that are not fully tracked or integrated into global accounting. Standardised carbon-footprint and mitigation-planning tools are needed.

Research, tourism, and fishing generate emissions and local effects that are not fully tracked or integrated into global accounting. Standardised carbon-footprint and mitigation-planning tools are needed.

Sector-by-sector rules may miss combined pressures. Integrated cumulative-impact planning platforms could improve governance.

Car-centric growth and limited mass transit investments cause gridlock and unhealthy air. Transit-planning tools and clean-mobility ventures can address these challenges.

Investment priorities focus on capitals while smaller cities struggle with outdated fleets. Regional funding and planning platforms can spread best practices.

Sea-level rise and extreme rainfall threaten settlements and infrastructure. Climate-risk mapping and relocation-planning tools can guide adaptation.

Regulatory and technical bottlenecks—including differing signalling systems and capacity constraints—slow modal shift. Integrated corridor-planning tools and interoperability solutions can boost rail usage.

Regulatory and technical bottlenecks—including differing signalling systems and capacity constraints—slow modal shift. Integrated corridor-planning tools and interoperability solutions can boost rail usage.

Water planning based on historical norms is becoming unreliable. Scenario-based planning and storage investments are needed.

Top-down planning can ignore local needs. Participatory approaches can improve outcomes.

Asset management relies on manual surveys. Remote sensing and digital twins can improve planning.