It is predicted that by 2040, over 70% of people in the UK will live in urban areas. This will pose major challenges for urban systems to cope with increased demand, as they were designed in isolation but will need to be integrated to work effectively together in the future.

Between August 2015 and August 2016, Innovate UK led a public dialogue, with support from the Sciencewise programme, which explored potential options for integrating urban systems which would equip cities with infrastructure suited for the future.

The process involved citizens from three cities (London, York and Glasgow) in workshops and a summit event and involvement of a wider public in an online public forum. The deliberative dialogue process was run by Ipsos MORI and the project was evaluated by URSUS Consulting Ltd.

The dialogue identified key principles upon which continued policy development could be based. The findings were also shared with Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Network with policy experts emphasising the importance of institutional knowledge gained on how to engage with the public on policy.