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.
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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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Dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases are surging with urbanization and climate change.
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South & Southeast Asia, Asia
Poor drainage and standing water in fast-growing cities create ideal breeding grounds, overwhelming health systems during outbreaks. AI-based outbreak prediction and community larvae-control apps could reduce case spikes.
Rapid industrialization and urbanization mean many countries still rely heavily on coal to meet rising electricity needs. Faster renewable grid integration and battery storage deployment are critical.
Rapid unplanned urbanization is outpacing infrastructure planning in many Asian cities.
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Asia, Asia
Cities are growing faster than governments can build roads, utilities, and housing, leading to chronic service shortfalls. Incremental, modular urban planning approaches could help cities adapt more affordably.
We haven't protected rapid urbanization zones from extreme urban heat island (UHI) effects.
open
Pakistan, Asia
Unplanned urban concrete expansion combined with rising temperatures has created extreme urban heat pockets, severely threatening elderly and low-income outdoor workers without public cooling centers.
Understanding climate effects on vector-borne disease range shifts
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East Africa, Africa
Build locally actionable models of how warming, rainfall, urbanization, immunity, and mobility reshape mosquito- and tick-borne disease risks.