The event this year focuses on «Staying Ahead
of Tomorrow», encapsulating the region's global lead in technology development; consumer
understanding across different cultures; planning ahead for
infrastructure build; launching new product; and developing
human capital.
My
understanding is that the socioeconomic variables are a proxy for
human activity &
infrastructure — waste heat & asphalt — which are more concentrated in urban areas, and are probably on the rise throughout most
of the world through the post-war 1950s - 80s.