Cities and Sustainability

The world urban population is likely to surge by 72% by 2050; from 3.6 billion in 2011 to 6.3 billion in 2050. It is expected that all of the future population growth will be concentrated around urban areas of less developed regions. Urbanisation is connected to industrialisation, modernisation and sociological practices. Since last hundred years or so people have moved from rural areas to urban to seek quality of life and economic opportunities. People believe that cities offer great opportunity for human life while minimising risks and challenges. Urbanisation has become great challenge of today; it occupies around 2 percent of world’s surface but consumes majority of the resources, it creates environmental, economic and social challenges that are difficult to address and quite complex. In 21^st century, cities have become heart of the planet. Many populated cities are at risks due to climate change. Modern cities are connected through large network of heavy infrastructures that are largely dependent upon use of automobile. Many conventional practices of today’s cities have contributed to global warming. Climate change has become reality and more natural calamities are expected to hit cities with large populations. Urbanisation has become focal point of future growth and requires in-depth and careful study of the entire system.

Challenges of Urbanisation

It was memorable moment when the world of 21^st century celebrated human population of 7 billion on 31^st October 2011 according to United Nations.  We have trebled ourselves from just over 2 billion in 1950 to 7 billion by 2011. The world of 19^th and 20^th century has seen tremendous changes that have never ever been experienced on this planet. The world has been transformed from small aboriginal communities living within the nature to villages to large cities. Cities have emerged from walking cities to transit cities and to automobile cities. Galactic transformations of landscape in last 100 years have raised numerous challenges for our future generations including other species that are living on this planet.

During the time of the agrarian civilizations, people used to live in small towns or countryside and performed their social and economic activities around their own boundaries. People walked everywhere or used animals such as horse or cow for their mode of transport to move from one place to another. World population increased exponentially from 1.6 billion to 6 billion during 20^th century resulting in greater number of workers with diminishing returns in villages or countryside small towns. People moved to larger cities in search of quality of life and to find some work to meet economic goals. According to the World Bank 52% of the world population lives in Cities and is anticipated to increase. Urban environment are attractive to outsiders and offers several benefits compared to village or country side living. City offers new opportunities, jobs, businesses, luxury, housing, transportations, organised system for people to get together and socialise, celebrate large events, participate in community activities  and many other benefits that may not be easily available in villages or countryside life. However when cities are formed with unsustainable practices and systems it creates lifelong complex problems for the entire planet. In the last one century the revolutionary waves of the industrialisation, information technology and globalisation have changed the way human lived. In developing world increasing populations and urbanisations have forced to create large cities with slums and lack of sanitations, clean drinking water, nutritious food and hygiene which then deteriorates environmental and human health. In developed world we have created large cities that are transformed from small narrow streets to large roads, big houses, outsized buildings, railway, buses and airports. Urban cities have become hungry for resources and are producing large amount of landfills from its waste stream. Urban challenges can be converted in to urban opportunities if planned sustainably but we need to understand the challenges first.

Key environmental challenges;

As cities have grown from small villages to densely populated cities in the last one and half century, it has created stress on the environment and natural resources. Cities are built consisting of human populations, buildings (residential & commercial) and transport system (public & private). Cities occupy two percent of the total world’s surface area but consume the majority of the resources and produces waste and pollution. Majority of the available water for human consumption goes to cities or used for the food or meat production to meet cities demand. About half of the water reserve is used for irrigation of food crops and the rest is for industry demand and drinking and sanitations. Uninterrupted growth of cities is contributing to climate change, deforestation and loss of biodiversity. People are constantly migrating from small towns to large cities in order to search for new opportunities, jobs and to have a better life. In developing world, people are shifting to large cities and are living in slum areas that have “life and health threatening” environment due to overcrowded shelters, poor water and sanitation quality, no drainage or garbage services provided and lack of healthcare facilities. In such situations, people are less bothered about environment. Environmental care becomes least priority; carbon pollution is generated through unsustainable methods of cooking and heating and forest is being cut for the human consumption. Wastes generated from human activities are diverted to river, water is being polluted and the same water is used for drinking by the society in many cases. Natural resources such as timber, minerals, iron and other building materials are constantly used for the development of cities. To meet the building demand of growing cities; forests are being cut, large mines are being dug and as a result contributing to global warming through deforestation and environmental pollution. Worldwide loss of biological diversity and mounting urban thirst of natural resources are contributing to unforeseen issue of water allocation and civil unrest.

Cities that are dependent upon automobiles are also large contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions and use of natural resources. Automobiles offer easy and fast mobility from one place to another thus providing the opportunity to go beyond the city centre. Suburbs in Australian cities were developed with modern town planning and land uses were segregated into zones allowing increase in travel distance and demanding for new road infrastructure contributed to clearing land and moving agricultural activities away from cities.

Key economic challenges;

World economy is highly dependent upon agricultural activities. Since last few decades globalisation has provided framework to frequently transport agricultural and animal products from one country to another. Globally grain and animal products are being made available to meet the food demand. Drought in one country or flood in another is not being felt due to increased export/import activities. Climate change is inevitable and would have far-fetched impact on global economy than one could imagine. Change in weather conditions would have enormous effect on agricultural sector. World commodity markets are vulnerable in globalised economy. Rising sea-level is another threat to world economy in terms of heavy populated coastal cities and sea transport. According to 2008/2009 “state of the world’s cities” report there are 3,351 cities situated in low elevation coastal zones that are prone to floods and tsunamis. The report also indicates that around 64 percent of those cities are located in developing regions. Any damage to coastal cities would have an enormous impact on the world economy. India and China are leading the world economy since last decade or so; any damage to their cities due to sea-level rise would have worldwide effect due to globalised network of economy. Multinational organisations that are located in heavy populated low elevated coastal cities are exposed to climate change related risks. Any impact on multinational organisations would have worldwide effect on global economy. Existing automobile network and use of oil has contributed huge amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Largely grown cities are extremely dependent on automobile use. Australian cities are heavily dependent on car use due to widely dispersed suburbs, services and employment. Key findings of IPCC report have confirmed the global surge in CO2 concentration is largely due to fossil fuel use and change of land-use including deforestations. Oil resources are at peak and demands alternative solution to urban automobile, industrial agricultural activities and others oil intensive practices. Endless use of oil threatens to add further CO2 emissions to climate change causes. Transitioning from automobile dependent cities to environmentally friendly cities faces several challenges in relation to planning, infrastructure, behavioural change and attached economic factors. Constant increase in oil prices has put strain on household’s budgets, transportation, food suppliers and global economy creating uncertainty in the market.

Key social challenges;

Globally people move to urban environment in search of quality of life. Urban environment offers many opportunities such as job, education, housing, transportation, roads and infrastructure and other human necessities. In 1990 the world’s 100 largest cities accommodated 540 million people and 220 million people lived in the 20 largest cities creating largest urban sprawl in the human history. Economic inequality, land degradation, lack of housing and other infrastructure, financial hardship, unemployment, domestic violence and many other are part of key social challenges of 21^st century urban areas. These social challenges are quite severe and complex. It requires systemic approach and much robust planning in order to offer sustainable urban environment.

In developing world rapid urban growth has created large slums accommodating population with lack of water, food, education, hygiene and other necessary services. Economic inequality and lack of resilience in case of natural disaster leaves poor population at risk. Large migration to overcrowded cities results in land pressures and requires cities to either move outwards or build high rise buildings. In most developing countries cities are spread outwards accommodating large slums with inadequate services.  Such unassisted and unplanned migration generates environmental pressure through deforestation, pollution (air, soil & water), poor health and land degradation. Less fortunate are also prone to domestic violence and social unrest. Lack of support from public services, housing, empowerment, education and wealth promotes domestic violence and social unrest. Unemployment contributes to individual stress and depression. In Australian urban cities especially in outer su

burbs families with large mortgages are constant under stress to meet living expenses; pay mortgages payments and other family expenditures. Large expenses of urban life are not always being met by many individual families and are resulting in social instability. Such issues contribute to family breakdown, broken relationship and depression amongst many.     

Conclusion:

Urbanisation would change the world’s face in 21^st century. Impacts of large urban cities are huge on environmental, economic and social aspects of human life. Future population growth would be concentrated around large cities and mainly in developing world. How are we going to plan our future cities, how are we going to modify our existing ones and how are we going to make these cities sustainable are some of the complex questions being raised from this study. There is no one solution that would work for the entire urban areas of the world. Different solution would require for different places and population based upon their geographical location and cultural expectations. Cities of tomorrow would need to be adaptable to deal with global warming that is unavoidable and would also demand various mitigation practices to reduce, avoid, or delay impacts arising from climate change.  Optimistic view of 21^st century offers great potential of efficiency in resource use in urban environment by following sustainable practices and planning. It is up to us to plan and create “sustainable cities that meets the needs of today and tomorrow without damaging the natural world or endangering the living conditions of other people, now or in the future”.