The year is 2030. It is morning on OmotesandoA luxury shopping street in Japan, known as Tokyo's Champs-Elysees, it is a tree lined avenue with upscale boutiques, cafes and several leading designer brand shops.. Gone is the purr of vehicles and the tooting of horns. Cyclists pedal down the car-free avenues while locals enjoy a stroll, stopping to chat along the way.

This could be the Tokyo of the future. Advancing technology, alarm about rapid climate change and the impact of Covid-19 promise to radically transform cities.

The process of urbanisationThe increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities. It is predicted that by 2050 three billion people will live in cities. has appeared inevitable. Cities are engines of growth. For decades people have flocked to them. MetropolisesA metropolis is a large city which is a significant economic, political and cultural center for a country or region. have become sprawling megacitiesA city housing a population of 10 million or more. According to the UN, the smallest is Bangkok (10.2 million) and the largest is Tokyo (37.5 million)..

Brent Cross Town, a new development on the cusp of London, follows the concept of the 15-minute cityAn idea proposed by the Franco-Columbian urbanist Carlos Moreno that describes a city in which all daily amenities are located no more than a 15-minute walk from every resident.. It aims to provide residents all the amenities they need without having to travel outside their neighbourhood.

Existing centres might become less hectic. In Paris, mayor Anne Hidalgo has turned roads into footpaths, parking spots into cycle lanes and junctions into dining spots. The capital has become calmer, cleaner and more localised.

Key to these changes is a realisation of cities' negative impact on wellbeing. According to the Centre of Urban Design, city-dwellers face a higher risk of depression and a higher risk of anxiety than those in the countryside.

The pandemic spotlighted physical risks of living in densely-populated areas. Only 2.6% of Americans live in New York City. Yet during the virus's first wave, 23% of the country's deaths occurred in the metropolis.

The disease has removed people from city centres, as lockdowns force people to work from home. Many are in no rush to return to commutes and days spent in the office. Some have taken the chance to vacate big cities altogether.

In the Middle Ages, Europe was characterised by a network of smaller towns, each with its own specialism. Some think the future could see a return to this model: one settlement might be a magnet for artists, another a centre for athletes.

There are reasons to be sceptical about such a vision. Cities are durable. They have survived epidemics, conflict, depressions and fires.

Although densely-populated areas can be a breeding ground for diseases, they also contain their solutions, as the leading academic Jane Jacobs argues: "Cities were once the most helpless and devastated victims of disease, but they became great disease conquerors."

It is not the first time the city's death knellThe ringing of a church bell to announce a death, common practice in Britain until the 20th Century. has been sounded. In 1995, American writer George Gilder called them "leftover baggage from the industrial era" and predicted that electronic communication would lead to their extinction. The 25 years since have seen cities swell as digital technology has accelerated.

For many, the benefits of cities outweigh the dangers. Elena Magrini of the Centre for Cities says they "allow people to mix, to be together and share ideas". After the privations of the pandemic, the variety and vibrancy of the metropolis might seem attractive.

Yes: Cities are awash with pollution and inequality and they hamper our mental health. The pandemic has brought the dangers of big-city living into stark relief. Crowded urban areas should be consigned to the dustbin of history.

No: From Shakespeare's plays to contemporary medical research, cities have incubated many of humanity's greatest achievements. Zoom and Skype cannot recreate the thrill of bustling streets and abundant life, nor the variety of attractions and chance encounters that a metropolis offers.

Or... What we require is a balance. The 15-minute city offers the opportunity to keep the buzz and culture of city life while making life for its residents less stressful, expensive and unhealthy.