40 perspectives on urban sustainability from around the globe

40 perspectives on urban sustainability from around the globe

Author: Tilmann, Thando

Publisher: Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin

Published: 2023-12-20

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 3798332592

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This book comprises 40 short texts by urban sustainability scholars from around the globe. The scholars are recipients of a six-month research stay grant from the Global Center of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability (SMUS), a DAAD Exceed center funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). SMUS is a global network of researchers and practitioners from over 48 universities and institutions who work together to improve academic education in spatial disciplines. Through collaborative teaching, workshops, conferences, and training, network partners work across disciplines to advance urban sustainability. From September 2020 through February 2021, 40 scholars participated in the centre’s ‘Developing a PhD Proposal’ program by organising workshops, partaking in excursions, and attending classes. The classes covered topics such as research ethics and skills, spatial methods, and urban sustainability, with a focus on Sustainable Development Goal #11, which is about ‘making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’. As part of their coursework, the students were tasked with writing short texts about how the topics covered manifest themselves in their respective home countries. This book is a compilation of those country replies, giving the reader a glimpse into urban sustainability perspectives from around the globe. The book includes a series of maps depicting the geographic locations represented in the country replies. They have been included to help the reader navigate the book and to highlight the diversity of topics and themes researchers are working on in the SMUS network. Dieses Buch enthält 40 Kurzbeiträge von Forschenden aus dem Gebiet der urbanen Nachhaltigkeit aus aller Welt. Die Verfasser*innen der Texte waren Teil eines sechsmonatigen Forschungsstipendiums des Global Center of Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability (SMUS), einem vom Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) geförderten DAAD exceed-Zentrum. SMUS ist ein globales Netzwerk, von Wissenschaftler*innen und Fachkräften aus über 48 Universitäten und Institutionen, das sich zum Ziel setzt raumbezogene Disziplinen durch Forschung und Lehre zu fördern. Durch gemeinsame Lehrveranstaltungen, Workshops, Konferenzen und Fortbildungen arbeiten die Netzwerkpartner interdisziplinär an der Umsetzung der urbanen Nachhaltigkeit. Von September 2020 bis Februar 2021 nahmen 40 Wissenschaftler*innen am Programm "Developing a PhD Proposal" des Zentrums teil, indem sie Workshops organisierten, Exkursionen abhielten und Seminare besuchten. In den Modulen wurden Themen wie Forschungsethik und -kompetenz, raumbezogene Methoden und urbane Nachhaltigkeit behandelt, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf dem Sustainable Development Goal #11 lag, "Städte und Siedlungen inklusiv, sicher, widerstandsfähig und nachhaltig zu gestalten". Als Teil ihres Austauschs hatten die Forschenden die Aufgabe, Kurztexte darüber zu verfassen, wie sich die behandelte Thematik in ihren jeweiligen Heimatstädten darstellt. Diese Publikation ist eine Sammlung der Antworten der Teilnehmenden zu bestimmten urbanen Fragestellungen und soll auf die Perspektiven der städtischen Nachhaltigkeit aus den unterschiedlichen Weltregionen eingehen. Das Buch enthält eine Reihe von Karten, auf denen die unterschiedlichen geografischen Regionen der Beiträge dargestellt werden. Sie dienen der Orientierung im Buch und verdeutlichen die Vielfalt der Themen, mit denen sich die Forschenden im SMUS-Netzwerk beschäftigen.


Urban Sustainability

Urban Sustainability

Author: Igor Vojnovic

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781611860559

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More than half the world's population currently lives in urban areas, and virtually all of the world's population growth over the next three decades is expected to be in cities. What impact will this growth have on the environment? What can we do now to pave the way for resource longevity? Sustainability has received considerable attention in recent years, though conceptions of the term remain vague. Using a wide array of cities around the globe as case studies, this timely book explores the varying nature of global urban-environmental stresses and the complexities involved in defining sustainability policies. Working with six core themes, the editor examines the past, present, and future of urban sustainability within local, national, and global contexts.


Pathways to Urban Sustainability

Pathways to Urban Sustainability

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2016-11-11

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 0309444535

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Cities have experienced an unprecedented rate of growth in the last decade. More than half the world's population lives in urban areas, with the U.S. percentage at 80 percent. Cities have captured more than 80 percent of the globe's economic activity and offered social mobility and economic prosperity to millions by clustering creative, innovative, and educated individuals and organizations. Clustering populations, however, can compound both positive and negative conditions, with many modern urban areas experiencing growing inequality, debility, and environmental degradation. The spread and continued growth of urban areas presents a number of concerns for a sustainable future, particularly if cities cannot adequately address the rise of poverty, hunger, resource consumption, and biodiversity loss in their borders. Intended as a comparative illustration of the types of urban sustainability pathways and subsequent lessons learned existing in urban areas, this study examines specific examples that cut across geographies and scales and that feature a range of urban sustainability challenges and opportunities for collaborative learning across metropolitan regions. It focuses on nine cities across the United States and Canada (Los Angeles, CA, New York City, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Pittsburgh, PA, Grand Rapids, MI, Flint, MI, Cedar Rapids, IA, Chattanooga, TN, and Vancouver, Canada), chosen to represent a variety of metropolitan regions, with consideration given to city size, proximity to coastal and other waterways, susceptibility to hazards, primary industry, and several other factors.


Urban Planet

Urban Planet

Author: Thomas Elmqvist

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13: 9781316647554

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Global urbanization promises better services, stronger economies, and more connections; it also carries risks and unforeseeable consequences. To deepen our understanding of this complex process and its importance for global sustainability, we need to build interdisciplinary knowledge around a systems approach. Urban Planet takes an integrative look at our urban environment, bringing together scholars from a diverse range of disciplines: from sociology and political science to evolutionary biology, geography, economics and engineering. It includes the perspectives of often neglected voices: architects, journalists, artists and activists. The book provides a much needed cross-scale perspective, connecting challenges and solutions on a local scale with drivers and policy frameworks on a regional and global scale. The authors argue that to overcome the major challenges we are facing, we must embark on a large-scale reinvention of how we live together, grounded in inclusiveness and sustainability.


OECD Urban Studies Cities in the World A New Perspective on Urbanisation

OECD Urban Studies Cities in the World A New Perspective on Urbanisation

Author: OECD

Publisher: OECD Publishing

Published: 2020-06-16

Total Pages: 171

ISBN-13: 9264376666

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Cities are not only home to around half of the global population but also major centers of economic activity and innovation. Yet, so far there has been no consensus of what a city really is. Substantial differences in the way cities, metropolitan, urban, and rural areas are defined across countries hinder robust international comparisons and an accurate monitoring of SDGs. The report Cities in the World: A New Perspective on Urbanisation addresses this void and provides new insights on urbanisation by applying for the first time two new definitions of human settlements to the entire globe: the Degree of Urbanisation and the Functional Urban Area.


State of the World

State of the World

Author: Worldwatch Institute

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 414

ISBN-13: 9781610915694

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This volume first puts our current moment in context, tracing cities in the arc of human history. It also examines the basic structural elements of every city: materials and fuels; people and economics; and biodiversity. In part two, professionals working on some of the world's most inventive urban sustainability projects share their first-hand experience. Success stories come from places as diverse as Ahmedabad, India; Freiburg, Germany; and Shanghai, China. In many cases, local people are acting to improve their cities, even when national efforts are stalled. Parts three and four examine cross-cutting issues that affect the success of all cities. Topics range from the nitty-gritty of handling waste and developing public transportation to civic participation and navigating dysfunctional government. Throughout, readers discover the most pressing challenges facing communities and the most promising solutions currently being developed. The result is a snapshot of cities today and a vision for global urban sustainability tomorrow.


Planning, Development and Management of Sustainable Cities

Planning, Development and Management of Sustainable Cities

Author: Tan Yigitcanlar

Publisher: MDPI

Published: 2019-04-30

Total Pages: 440

ISBN-13: 3038979066

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The concept of ‘sustainable urban development’ has been pushed to the forefront of policymaking and politics as the world wakes up to the impacts of climate change and the destructive effects of the Anthropocene. Climate change has emerged to be one of the biggest challenges faced by our planet today, threatening both built and natural systems with long-term consequences, which may be irreversible. While there is a vast body of literature on sustainability and sustainable urban development, there is currently limited focus on how to cohesively bring together the vital issues of the planning, development, and management of sustainable cities. Moreover, it has been widely stated that current practices and lifestyles cannot continue if we are to leave a healthy living planet to not only the next generation, but also to the generations beyond. The current global school strikes for climate action (known as Fridays for Future) evidences this. The book advocates the view that the focus needs to rest on ways in which our cities and industries can become green enough to avoid urban ecocide. This book fills a gap in the literature by bringing together issues related to the planning, development, and management of cities and focusing on a triple-bottom-line approach to sustainability.


Sustainable Urbanism

Sustainable Urbanism

Author: Douglas Farr

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2012-01-09

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 1118174518

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Written by the chair of the LEED-Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) initiative, Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature is both an urgent call to action and a comprehensive introduction to "sustainable urbanism"--the emerging and growing design reform movement that combines the creation and enhancement of walkable and diverse places with the need to build high-performance infrastructure and buildings. Providing a historic perspective on the standards and regulations that got us to where we are today in terms of urban lifestyle and attempts at reform, Douglas Farr makes a powerful case for sustainable urbanism, showing where we went wrong, and where we need to go. He then explains how to implement sustainable urbanism through leadership and communication in cities, communities, and neighborhoods. Essays written by Farr and others delve into such issues as: Increasing sustainability through density. Integrating transportation and land use. Creating sustainable neighborhoods, including housing, car-free areas, locally-owned stores, walkable neighborhoods, and universal accessibility. The health and environmental benefits of linking humans to nature, including walk-to open spaces, neighborhood stormwater systems and waste treatment, and food production. High performance buildings and district energy systems. Enriching the argument are in-depth case studies in sustainable urbanism, from BedZED in London, England and Newington in Sydney, Australia, to New Railroad Square in Santa Rosa, California and Dongtan, Shanghai, China. An epilogue looks to the future of sustainable urbanism over the next 200 years. At once solidly researched and passionately argued, Sustainable Urbanism is the ideal guidebook for urban designers, planners, and architects who are eager to make a positive impact on our--and our descendants'--buildings, cities, and lives.


Urban Sustainability Transitions

Urban Sustainability Transitions

Author: Niki Frantzeskaki

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-06-14

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 1351855956

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The world’s population is currently undergoing a significant transition towards urbanisation, with the UN expecting that 70% of people globally will live in cities by 2050. Urbanisation has multiple political, cultural, environmental and economic dimensions that profoundly influence social development and innovation. This fundamental long-term transformation will involve the realignment of urban society’s technologies and infrastructures, culture and lifestyles, as well as governance and institutional frameworks. Such structural systemic realignments can be referred to as urban sustainability transitions: fundamental and structural changes in urban systems through which persistent societal challenges are addressed, such as shifts towards urban farming, renewable decentralised energy systems, and social economies. This book provides new insights into how sustainability transitions unfold in different types of cities across the world and explores possible strategies for governing urban transitions, emphasising the co-evolution of material and institutional transformations in socio-technical and socio-ecological systems. With case studies of mega-cities such as Seoul, Tokyo, New York and Adelaide, medium-sized cities such as Copenhagen, Cape Town and Portland, and nonmetropolitan cities such as Freiburg, Ghent and Brighton, the book provides an opportunity to reflect upon the comparability and transferability of theoretical/conceptual constructs and governance approaches across geographical contexts. Urban Sustainability Transitions is key reading for students and scholars working in Environmental Sciences, Geography, Urban Studies, Urban Policy and Planning.


Sustainability in the Global City

Sustainability in the Global City

Author: Cindy Isenhour

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2016-04-28

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781107431720

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Cities play a pivotal but paradoxical role in the future of our planet. As world leaders and citizens grapple with the consequences of growth, pollution, climate change, and waste, urban sustainability has become a ubiquitous catchphrase and a beacon of hope. Yet, we know little about how the concept is implemented in daily life - particularly with regard to questions of social justice and equity. This volume provides a unique and vital contribution to ongoing conversations about urban sustainability by looking beyond the promises, propaganda, and policies associated with the concept in order to explore both its mythic meanings and the practical implications in a variety of everyday contexts. The authors present ethnographic studies from cities in eleven countries and six continents. Each chapter highlights the universalized assumptions underlying interpretations of sustainability while elucidating the diverse and contradictory ways in which people understand, incorporate, advocate for, and reject sustainability in the course of their daily lives.