Sustainable, Resource
Efficient Cities – Making it Happen!
This report is an environmental program for the United Nations. This report emphasizes the importance of infrastructure development. Today’s choices in building design, waste management, urban ecosystem management, transportation, water, energy and food systems, and how these options are integrated into different sectors, will have important implications for the future of the world’s cities. In order to improve the sustainability of the city, this report proposes a combination of strategies, incentives and executive actions in a wide range of sectors.
This report is divided into three sections:
Section 1 presents the challenges, trends and pressures of today’s cities.
Section 2 describes the challenges and sustainability options, in particular the existing infrastructure options for achieving sustainable cities using resources in the construction, transportation, waste and water sectors.
Section 3 describes a number of approaches to how cities can be transferred to sustainable growth and resource efficiency.
The global population is expected to reach more than 9 billion by 2050. The “second wave of urbanization” shows that most of these people live in cities in Africa and Asia where the city has the highest growth rate. Migration to cities is on the rise, as are refugees and legal and illegal immigrants. This “second wave of urbanization” is the main driver of change in the 21st century and follows the first wave of urbanization that has occurred since 1750 in developed countries.
21st century cities are the largest human settlements today and increasingly serve as important points of social, economic, ecological and technological change. This is especially evident in the context of the world’s developing cities, where growth is fastest and the challenges to sustainability will be more acute in the future – all due to growing inequality, poverty and the pervasiveness of slums, and informality. In the face of these challenges, there are real opportunities for national and city leaders to contribute to sustainability by focusing on the sustainability and resource efficiency of cities.
There is a strong relationship between the quality of life in cities and the use and management of natural resources available to cities. Cities with more productivity and innovation reduce resources with lower costs and environmental impacts, while providing more opportunities for consumer choice and sustainable lifestyles.
Cities lead to economic growth, consumption of materials and energy, waste generation and greenhouse gas emissions. If we are serious about preserving our natural resources, reducing climate change, and creating the kind of green economy we need in the 21st century to create jobs and reduce poverty, then there must be clear change at the city level.
