Building Sustainability in an Urbanizing World : A Partnership Report

The report is organized into eight chapters: chapter one discusses urbanization and the growing global impact of cities, reviews the widely accepted definitions of sustainability and sustainable cities, and elaborates on the need for innovative approaches to the various aspects of sustainability. Chapter two reviews the importance of urbanization for economic growth and the opportunity for low-carbon investments to promote growth and job creation in developing countries. Chapter three discusses the ways in which policies dealing with land and urban form can promote greener growth, as well as how cities can take advantage of the enormous demand for infrastructure to become cleaner and more efficient. It summarizes issues related to energy efficiency, buildings, urban transport, water, and waste. Chapter four discusses climate change adaptation in cities. Approaches for local adaptation planning, risk management and resilience are reviewed. Chapter five debates how to measure improvements in urban sustainability. It reviews the framework of urban metabolism for understanding the flow of materials and energy, and explores the use of indicators to measure aspects of sustainability, including risks and resilience as well as efficiency. A new compendium of data from the world's 100 largest urban areas is introduced, and a basic typology of these cities is presented. Chapter six discusses the roles of different institutions in the governance and implementation of sustainable cities, and chapter seven considers how institutions can contribute to learning and innovation. Chapter eight suggests next steps to move toward sustainable cities, identifying possible paths forward with partners.