And there is a very good reason for that development: urban environments hold many promises for a better future simply because of their massive scale and density. Cities generate jobs and thus income, they can provide education, healthcare and other services more efficiently than less densely settled areas. And cities offer the chance to climb the social ladder, especially for women.

But the same scale and proximity that provide chances, will also amplify challenges to keep urban life livable. Most cities have never been designed to host a population that soon will surpass that of the entire Netherlands (16,6 million). So can their infrastructure hold up, maintaining the distribution of utilties? What about mobility issues, clogged up streets and insufficient transport?

Environment and sustainability are a huge challenge in dense areas like (mega)cities: from waste management (the vast landfills in India go hand in hand with the waste crisis in Naples, Italy), to air quality (the smog filled cities in China) and the use of (natural) resources. How can technology help to monitor our usage and visualize the "problem areas"?

The huge scale of our (future) megacities will also impact social dynamics and the commitment of residents to keep up the quality of their living environment. In emerging countries like Brazil and India, growing slums demand a new approach of governance and valuation of informal economic dynamics. Should the role of governments change? And can the application of open data or the influence of social media play a role in shifting control back to citizens more?

We're looking to engage you and others of the world's most creative and innovative minds at PICNIC Festival 2011. Join us investigating several urban future scenarios, including perspectives on:

Infrastructure

(mobility, sewage, utility grids, street plan, public transport, public and private buildings, public services)

Sustainability

(waste, water, green energy, pollution, Co2, building green, nano-tech, urban gardens, economy, bio-tech, food)

Society

(governance, open data, health, education, social cohesion, poverty, democratization, privacy, aging, immigration, safety)

Design

(city planning, architecture, health care, educational system, green, social change, data visualization, products, services)

Media

(urban screens, social media, gamification, trans media, augmented city, open versus closed, privacy, social engineering)