Over the next few decades, cultural, economic, and ecological changes will transform cities as we know them. As Patrick Condon explains in Five Rules for Tomorrow's Cities, urban designers will need to address three cresting waves: rural-to-urban migration, collapsing birth rates, and a disappearing middle class. What will these trends mean for our cities? How can designers incorporate them into their work?

In his new book, Condon shows how these challenges could actually enable the emergence of a more equitable and sustainable city—through good urban design. He provides a set of principles that can guide designers to make a better city possible. 

The excerpt below offers an in-depth discussion of the three trends. Read Chapter 1: The Three Waves That Are Changing Cities Forever.