Ashish Sharma leads the Climate Hub at the Discovery Partners Institute, part of the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has a joint appointment at Argonne National Laboratory and also serves as director of the Clean Energy and Equitable Transportation Solutions (CLEETS) Global Center in Chicago.
It’s the year 2050 on the South Side of Chicago. As I walk near the former U.S. Steel South Works along Lake Michigan on a summer morning, I see more than redevelopment. I see the results of a deliberate transformation in hard tech like quantum computing and climate intelligence technology.
Despite the previous night’s heavy rain, the streets are water-free. Neighborhoods are not reporting residential flooding on my flood tracker, and there are no flood insurance claims. Local media are not reporting any major flash flood damages or disruptions. Even with extreme weather, the infrastructure is resilient, and people are embracing rain without fear of catastrophic damage.
A similar breakthrough occurred 150 years ago. We reversed the Chicago River in 1900. It was a bold act of engineering that reshaped the city’s future. Our generation made a more technologically sophisticated choice. We decided not to fight the elements but understand them and design systems that work with them.
Today at midcentury, Chicago is recognized not just as a global leader in fields such as quantum computing but also as a capital of climate-resilient infrastructure, a city where weather is managed, not feared. But 25 years ago, back in 2025, we were not this city. We were reactive. What has changed is our proactive approach.
The ambition was simple and bold. We wanted to create a city and metropolitan region where weather and climate intelligence is integrated into every major system, from transportation and energy to public health and business. This did not happen by accident. This was the result of deliberate choices, a sustained effort defined by collaboration, investments and collective will.
Today in 2050, that vision is visible everywhere. The neighborhoods are greener, cooler and healthier. The transportation is largely electric. Chicago has become even more bike- and pedestrian-friendly, reducing congestion and pollution. Streets have robust storm water systems, and homes have water retention or absorption systems with reuse for dirty water. Nature-based solutions, from urban forests and green/cool roofs to permeable pavement, are reducing flood risks and heat stress. The city feels calmer, adaptive and in sync with its environment.
I am a climate scientist at the Discovery Partners Institute in Chicago. The turning point in the city’s relationship with weather came in 2025 when we took a bold step and built AerisIQ, a weather and climate intelligence system that became the backbone of weather and impact forecasting for the region. It became the digital nervous system of Chicago’s weather and climate resilience.
AerisIQ uses next-generation computing powered by artificial intelligence, taking advantage of parallel regional growth in quantum computing. Using quantum algorithms in weather and climate applications, AerisIQ provides weather forecasts, connects them to possible impact pathways and runs scenarios in advance. It is connected to the Chicago metro area’s emergency management system, providing timely information to anticipate and manage environmental risks, such as heat, floods, derechos and tornadoes. This allows local government to make adaptive choices and release advance warnings to prepare.
Planning and investment have created a resilient system to reduce the impacts. Thousands of smart sensors in the city, combined with radar, complement each other to improve forecasting. This intelligence feeds directly into decision-support cockpits used by city agencies, enabling real-time responses to storms, floods and heat events.
Our city operates as a well-oiled, integrated weather-aware system. Our hybrid quantum-driven weather models, combined with smart-sensor drainage systems and dynamic flood control, now manage stormwater flows more efficiently before flooding occurs. Integration with AI-driven systems adjusts transit, traffic and logistics in response to weather conditions. State-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicles are fed hyperlocal weather intelligence for last-mile delivery and route optimization to deliver packages and food parcels; this has significantly improved the battery efficiency of delivery drones as well as their reliability and safety, reducing midair incidents and operational disruptions. Emergency services operate predictively, prepositioning resources before events occur. Weather and health data are integrated, reducing heat-related illness and environmental exposure. Vulnerable patients and communities are making travel plans with reduced exposures.
This transformation did not happen suddenly. It was the result of a sustained academic-private-civic partnership anchored by DPI’s Climate Hub and its partners. Perhaps most importantly, we broke down the long-standing, entrenched silos of data ownership, previously a major hurdle to progress until the first quarter of the 21st century. Public agencies, private firms and researchers began sharing data under trusted frameworks, unlocking a new era of innovation.
Early investments in weather and climate intelligence laid the foundation. What began as a pilot project in 2025 evolved into a fully integrated system guiding city operations. That commitment to treat weather intelligence as critical infrastructure set the foundation for everything that followed.
The results have been transformative. Without that early commitment, this city would not exist the way it is now. Chicago has become a global hub for climate-tech innovation, attracting companies, talent and investment. What was once a brain drain has reversed into a brain gain. New tech industries, both hard and soft tech, have emerged around climate resilience and infrastructure intelligence. These resilience investments also have reduced long-standing inequities, making neighborhoods safer and healthier across the city.
The weather remains uncertain. Climate risks have not disappeared. But Chicago has fundamentally changed its relationship with uncertainty. We are no longer caught off guard; we are prepared, adaptive and continuously learning.
It’s 2050, a quarter century into the future from today, and I see a city where technology, nature and infrastructure work together seamlessly. Chicago did not just adapt to climate change; it redefined what a resilient city can be.
And in doing so, it showed the world what is possible.
Ashish Sharma leads the Climate Hub at the Discovery Partners Institute, part of the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has a joint appointment at Argonne National Laboratory and also serves as director of the Clean Energy and Equitable Transportation Solutions (CLEETS) Global Center in Chicago.