Abstract
In the 21st century, the creation of built environments that are carbon neutral and water sensitive is critical for addressing sustainable urban development challenges. Both require transformative change: Decarbonisation to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and incorporation of green-blue water sensitive solutions to adapt to climate change impacts. Transition pathways in both arenas involve combinations of new technology, innovative urban design, enabling policies and regulations, new processes for planning and managing urban development, and demand-side changes in consumer attitudes and practices for urban living related to energy and water use. In this paper, we present new knowledge, concepts and frameworks developed for application in Australia, as well as internationally, through research by the national Cooperative Research Centres for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL) and Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC) between 2012 and 2020. These findings and outputs illustrate common features of the research strategies and initiatives that were central to the activities of the CRCs, and highlight promising directions for collaborative interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research that drives urban sustainability transformations towards carbon neutral and blue-green cities.
Highlights
Urban science has clearly revealed that 21st century cities in developed and developing economies must achieve multiple sustainability goals, given the central role cities play in global, national and local economies [1,2,3] and the pressures they exert on the Earth’s natural ecosystems [4]
We present insights and experiences from two major research-industry-government collaborations that aimed to transform the urban water and energy systems of Australian cities: The Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL; 2012–2019; http://www.lowcarbonlivingcrc.com.au/) and the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC; 2012–2021; https://watersensitivecities.org.au/)
Cities have been at the epicentre of the COVID-19 virus outbreaks, given their pivotal roles in 21st century systems of production and consumption
Summary
Urban science has clearly revealed that 21st century cities in developed and developing economies must achieve multiple sustainability goals, given the central role cities play in global, national and local economies [1,2,3] and the pressures they exert on the Earth’s natural ecosystems [4]. In the face of global carbon constraints [5], resource constraints [6] and challenges to urban resilience amplified by climate change [7] and rapidly growing urban populations, the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) [8] represent a call to action on multiple fronts. These global goals and objectives are values-based and have been designed to raise awareness and create an understanding of the complex challenges facing societies and their development in the 21st century. We reflect on the transformative solutions and strategies identified through these CRCs, with the aim of consolidating key lessons for pursuing a vision of carbon neutral and blue-green cities
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