CITIES: STEERIN

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INA

BILIT

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he twenty-first century is already an urban one. Cities are pivotal to sustainability concerns – globalization, climate change, food

security, environmental protection, and innovation.

Today’s urban actors, both citizens and their leaders, have a major responsibility as trustees of the future: their present actions will influence

the shape and structure of cities, so that the generations to come may live healthy and contented lives.

This volume takes the reader straight to the heart of how cities work, and identifies contemporary trends, mechanisms and tools that can influence

current strategies and choices.

The authors show that urbanization is not a problem per se for sustainable development, but rather that cities, in all their diversity and complexity, offer solutions as well as challenges.

The reader will be inspired by vital analyses of the next decade’s windows of opportunity for sustainable urban growth.

F E A T U R I N G

> Papers by leading international experts and scholars> New perspectives from 80 cities across fi ve continents> Multiple maps, charts, timelines and thematic focus essays> A wealth of ideas for specialists and non-specialists alike (policy-makers,

administrators, concerned citizens, development professionals, entrepreneurs,journalists, students, and others)

A PLANET FOR LIFE S U S TA I N A B L E D E V E LO P M E N TI N AC T I O N

978-81-7993-131-8

PIERRE JACQUET, RAJENDRA K. PACHAURI

LAURENCE TUBIANA, EDITORS

STEERING TOWARDSSUSTAINABILITY

PIERRE JACQUET, RAJENDRA K. PACHAURI

LAURENCE TUBIANA, EDITORS

STEERING TOWARDS

SUSTAINABILITY

PIER

RE JA

CQU

ET, RA

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K. P

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Source: Socio-economic Data and ApplicationsCenter (Sedac), NASA and Columbia University,Gridded Population of the World and the GlobalRural-Urban Mapping Project,http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/gpw

TODAY’S URBAN SPREAD

0 10 45 200 500

Population density 2010 (in inhabitants per km2)

The 150 Largest Urban Agglomerations 2005 (in millions of inhabitants)

Average world density:45 habitants/km235.1 2.518 6

a lthough the fact is subject to debate, it would seen that the majority of the world’s

population has, since 2007, been living in cities rather than the countryside (see Focus 4) and urban zones worldwide are expanding rapidly. This trend can be explained by both a high rate of population growth and an exodus from rural areas that has been accelerating in recent years. The main part of this urban growth is taking place in the developing countries. Only two of the fifty cities with the

urban growth: a governance challenge

highest population density are located in the industrialized countries. Today Tokyo remains the largest city in the world, with more than 33 million inhab-itants, but 36 of the 50 most populated cities are to be found in developing or emerging countries, particularly in South-East Asia. Mexico City, with a little more than 17 million inhabitants, is the most populated city in the developing world. This trend will intensify in the future: among the 100 cities with the highest growth rates, only five are located in

industrialized countries: Austin, Atlanta, Las Vegas (United States), Suwon (South Korea) and Bursa (Turkey). The cities that will experience the highest levels of growth are Beihai (China), Ghaziabad (India), Sana’a (Yemen), Surat (India) and Kabul (Afghanistan). Major African cities are also expected to undergo unprecedented expansion: the growth rates of Bamako (Mali), Lagos (Nigeria), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Kampala (Uganda) will surpass 4% per year (see Focus 5).

A p l A n e t f o r l i f e244

FOCUS 3urban growtH

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Source: Socio-economic Data and ApplicationsCenter (Sedac), NASA and Columbia University,Gridded Population of the World and the GlobalRural-Urban Mapping Project,http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/gpw

TODAY’S URBAN SPREAD

0 10 45 200 500

Population density 2010 (in inhabitants per km2)

The 150 Largest Urban Agglomerations 2005 (in millions of inhabitants)

Average world density:45 habitants/km235.1 2.518 6

1950 1975 2000 2025

11.3

36.4

2.9

26.4

1.4

22.5

0.3

22

2.3

21.4

2.9

21

12.320.7

4.5

20.6

6

19.4

1

19.1

0.2

16.7

0.3

15.8

2.5

15.5

1.5

14.8

4.3

14.5

Over the period 2005-2025,the United Nations’ mediumprojections are used.

Tokyo (Japan)

Mumbai(India)

Delhi (India)

Dhaka (Bangladesh)

São Paulo(Brazil)

Mexico City (Mexico)

New York (United States)

Calcutta(India)

Shanghai (China)

Karachi (Pakistan)

Kinshasa(DRC)

Lagos (Nigeria)

Cairo(Egypt)

Manila (Philippines)

Beijing (China)

Population Growth ofthe 15 Largest Urban Agglomerationsin 2025 (in millions of inhabitants)

Atel

ier d

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raph

ie d

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ptem

bre

2009

Source: United Nations, World UrbanizationProspects. The 2007 Revision Population Database,New York (N. Y.), Population Division, (February 2008), www.un.org

EXPANDING CITIES

HigH StakeSMajor governance challenges stem from this high level of growth. First of all, in terms of housing: the new populations arriving in the cities of the emerging and developing countries are often reduced to living in shantytowns on the city outskirts. The growing demographic pressure on resources will also raise problems of food security (see Focus 10) and access to drinking water. Cities’ water and food resources are increasingly limited, yet must be shared among a growing number of inhabitants.The urban challenge is also linked to climate issues, as most greenhouse gases are emitted in cities that already come under particular threat when located in coastal zones (see Focus 14).

a democratic cHallengeDespite signs of international recognition and the increasing influence of urban networks (see Focuses 11 and 12), local authorities remain largely absent from international governance mechanisms,

particularly those relating to climate issues. They will, however, have a major role to play in the fight against global warming, not only in helping to reduce it but also by implementing the measures required to adapt to new conditions. On the initiative of the Mayor of Seattle, Greg Nickels, nearly 1,000 American urban agglomerations have undertaken to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to below their 1990 levels. Today, cities are claiming a seat at the table of the climate negotiations.In a broader sense, the governance of cities and their representation at the international level is also a democratic challenge: the biggest cities have larger populations than many States, and the scope of responsibility of certain mayors is often very broad. As a result, cities, and especially those located in devel-oping countries, constitute one of the major challenges for world governance, even though they do not at present have an adequate level of represen-tation. n

In 2025, the largest cities will be in the emerging and developing countries. Only Tokyo and New York will keep abreast with them. The emergence of large cities in Africa indi-cates how important it is to provide these regions, as of now, with governance tools that can match up to future challenges.

A large part of the Earth’s surface is today occupied by cities, which is a sign of population growth and rural exodus. After the OECD coun-tries, Latin America and Asia, it is now Africa that is experi-encing an urban transition.

A p l A n e t f o r l i f e 245

CITIES: STEERIN

G TO

WA

RD

S SUSTA

INA

BILIT

Y

he twenty-first century is already an urban one. Cities are pivotal to sustainability concerns – globalization, climate change, food

security, environmental protection, and innovation.

Today’s urban actors, both citizens and their leaders, have a major responsibility as trustees of the future: their present actions will influence

the shape and structure of cities, so that the generations to come may live healthy and contented lives.

This volume takes the reader straight to the heart of how cities work, and identifies contemporary trends, mechanisms and tools that can influence

current strategies and choices.

The authors show that urbanization is not a problem per se for sustainable development, but rather that cities, in all their diversity and complexity, offer solutions as well as challenges.

The reader will be inspired by vital analyses of the next decade’s windows of opportunity for sustainable urban growth.

F E A T U R I N G

> Papers by leading international experts and scholars> New perspectives from 80 cities across fi ve continents> Multiple maps, charts, timelines and thematic focus essays> A wealth of ideas for specialists and non-specialists alike (policy-makers,

administrators, concerned citizens, development professionals, entrepreneurs,journalists, students, and others)

A PLANET FOR LIFE S U S TA I N A BL E D E V E LO P M E N TI N AC T I O N

978-81-7993-131-8

PIERRE JACQUET, RAJENDRA K. PACHAURI

LAURENCE TUBIANA, EDITORS

STEERING TOWARDSSUSTAINABILITY

PIERRE JACQUET, RAJENDRA K. PACHAURI

LAURENCE TUBIANA, EDITORS

STEERING TOWARDS

SUSTAINABILITY

PIER

RE JA

CQU

ET, RA

JEND

RA

K. P

ACH

AU

RI

LAU

REN

CE TUB

IAN

A, ED

ITOR

S