Building today the cities we will need tomorrow

• Opinion piece, published in Cemento Hormigón magazine on July 28, 2026

Cities have always been a reflection of their time. Their shapes, buildings, infrastructure and shared spaces express the needs, aspirations and priorities of each era. Today, those priorities are changing rapidly. Urban growth, pressure on resources, the climate emergency and the need to ensure a better quality of life are forcing us to rethink not only how we design cities, but also how we build them.

For decades, urban debate has focused on issues such as mobility, housing, public space and the integration of green areas. All of these remain essential. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the city of the future will not depend solely on good urban planning ideas, but also on the ability to implement them efficiently, sustainably and durably. In other words, it is not enough to imagine better cities: we must be able to build them better.

This challenge directly concerns the construction sector. The built environment accounts for a significant share of resource consumption, waste generation and emissions associated with urban development. Therefore, moving towards more sustainable cities requires transforming the way we plan, produce, build and maintain buildings, infrastructure and urban spaces. Sustainability can no longer be seen as an add-on at the end of the process, but as a guiding principle from the very beginning.

The quality, durability and sustainability of the materials and solutions used to build streets, squares, facilities, housing and infrastructure are key factors in ensuring these spaces can stand the test of time and adapt to new environmental challenges. In this regard, the transformation of the construction sector has become an essential part of the future of cities. Building more efficiently, with lower impact and with a long-term vision will be decisive in addressing the urban needs of the coming decades.

In this context, industrialised construction is gaining increasing importance. It is not simply about building faster, but about building better. Industrialisation allows for greater planning accuracy, optimisation of production processes, waste reduction, improved safety, shorter execution times and fewer disruptions in the urban environment. In increasingly dense and demanding cities, this ability to operate more efficiently is especially valuable.

Industrialisation also enables a more predictable and controlled construction process. Moving part of the construction process into industrial environments facilitates better resource management, higher technical precision and less improvisation on site. This improves the final quality of solutions while also reducing inefficiencies, cost overruns and schedule deviations. At a time when cities need to renovate buildings, upgrade infrastructure, create housing and adapt to climate change, this responsiveness is essential.

Efficiency, therefore, should not be understood solely in economic terms. It is also an environmental and social issue. A more efficient construction process consumes fewer resources, generates less waste, reduces occupation of public space and allows cities to keep functioning while they transform. Ultimately, building better also means intervening in a way that is more respectful of people’s daily lives.

To move forward in this direction, innovation will be decisive. Innovating in construction does not only mean introducing new technologies, but rethinking the entire value chain: from design and material selection to production, logistics, execution and maintenance. It means promoting solutions that integrate technology, design and sustainability, aligned with circular economy principles. It also means considering the full life cycle of buildings and infrastructure, not just the moment of construction.

Durability must occupy a central place in this debate. A sustainable city is not only one that reduces the initial impact of construction, but one that delivers solutions capable of remaining in good condition for decades, with lower needs for repair, replacement or maintenance. What lasts longer performs better and adapts more easily to new needs, while also contributing to reducing long-term environmental impact.

But building cities is, above all, a collective endeavour. Architects, engineers, public authorities, industrial companies, developers and contractors must work in coordination to respond to increasingly complex challenges. Cities have always been the result of an alliance between vision, creativity and technical capability. Today, that alliance is more necessary than ever.

Future cities must be more sustainable, resilient, inclusive and efficient. But these goals will not be achieved through urban planning or architectural design alone. They will also depend on how buildings, infrastructure and shared spaces are constructed. They will depend on our ability to incorporate efficiency, industrialisation, circularity and durability into every construction decision.

Building better does not mean building more without purpose. It means building with a long-term vision, understanding that every technical, material and production decision shapes urban quality of life for generations. The cities we will need tomorrow are being defined today. And their future will depend largely on our ability to bring together design, innovation, industrial efficiency and environmental commitment. Because the real challenge is not only to imagine more sustainable, resilient and liveable cities. The real challenge is to make them possible.