Urban Sustainability

Abstract

Urban sustainability has become increasingly important due to climate change and ongoing urban development. Together with shifting demographics, with more than 50 percent of the population living in urban areas, the combined stressors of global change further necessitate diverse urban stakeholders to engage in dialogues of urban sustainability. Additionally, due to income inequality between the Global South and North and within cities, many urban regions are grappling with achieving urban sustainability; efforts include the boom of local climate action, energy and mobility transitions, and food sovereignty movements. Different dialogues of urban sustainability discussion currently exist. In Western societies, collaborative governance and socioeconomic conditions promote a particular form of urban sustainability, while the roles of class and elite are often emphasized for promoting urban sustainability in developing countries. In general, the field of urban sustainability has evolved from purely ecological aspects of sustainability to coupled social and ecological systems to a social-ecological-technological systems (SETS) approach. The role of infrastructure and its interaction with other social and ecological dimensions (e.g., nature-based solutions) have recently been discussed in urban sustainability. Additionally, there is an increasing interest in addressing justice, diversity, and equity issues for the underserved population as a part of this discussion. The three pillars of urban sustainability—social, ecological, and technological—thus need to be considered together in order to achieve urban sustainability across generations and neighborhoods.