Can the gigacities of tomorrow keep human connection alive?

Over the past few decades, people in many countries have witnessed extraordinary technological progress. Transport is becoming smarter, robots and drones are entering everyday life, infrastructure is growing more complex, buildings are reaching ever higher into the sky and expanding cities are drawing in millions of new residents.The number of megacities – urban areas with populations of at least 10 million – rose from eight in 1975 to 33 in 2025. The United Nations expects this number to reach 37 by 2050.Under the UN’s harmonised methodology, the world’s largest urban agglomerations are Jakarta, with around 42 million people, Dhaka with 36.6 million and Tokyo with 33.4 million. By 2050, Dhaka’s population could reach 52.1 million and Jakarta’s 51.8 million.