The top 25 cities for the future

By 2050, approximately two-thirds of the world's population will live in cities, up from just over half right now.

In order to accommodate the masses, it's important for urban centers to rev up their preparations for the future — through infrastructure improvements, technological innovation, policy-making, environmental protections, and other forward-looking strategies.

A new report from AT Kearney, a global business-consulting firm, ranks 128 cities based on their projected levels of importance and competitiveness in the future. The ranking combines cities' scores across various data points, including environmental performance, patents per capita, the number of business incubators and Fortune 500 companies, and quality of life.

In order to suss out the top cities of the future, AT Kearney calculated scores in four categories: personal well-being, economics, innovation, and governance.

These are the cities to keep an eye on in the coming years.

SEE ALSO: Surreal photos of China's failed 'city of the future'

25. Los Angeles, United States

Los Angeles, which fell four spots on the ranking from 2016 to 2017, continues to be a center for business and technology. It's home to several tech giants, including Snap and SpaceX, and fosters the growth of future tech leaders through its startup incubators.

24. Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver edged one spot up the list from No. 24 in 2016. That's because of its rise in tech entrepreneurship and the legal medical marijuana industry. In 2016, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced an agreement to invest CA$900 million in the city's transit infrastructure, which is likely to improve its scores in the years ahead.

23. Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo has the largest population of college graduates. But its human capital wasn't enough to keep the Japanese capital from sliding four spots this year. In 2016, the governor of Tokyo resigned because of a spending scandal. Yoichi Masuzoe is the second leader of Tokyo's municipal government to leave office because of a financial scandal in recent years. 

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