Book contents
- Sustainability Assessment of Urban Systems
- Sustainability Assessment of Urban Systems
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Contributors
- General Introduction
- Part I Theoretical Background
- Part II Integrative Approaches for Sustainability Assessment
- Part III Perspectives on Urban Sustainability
- Part IV Focal Points of Urban Sustainability
- Index
- References
General Introduction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2020
- Sustainability Assessment of Urban Systems
- Sustainability Assessment of Urban Systems
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Contributors
- General Introduction
- Part I Theoretical Background
- Part II Integrative Approaches for Sustainability Assessment
- Part III Perspectives on Urban Sustainability
- Part IV Focal Points of Urban Sustainability
- Index
- References
Summary
The sustainability of urban systems is a pressing topic now, and will be even more so in the future. Currently, more that 50 percent of the world’s population (74 percent in the EU) lives in cities, and this share is expected to keep increasing, posing new challenges for sustainable development. Although cities only cover 3 percent of the earth’s surface, they account for 75 percent of global CO2 emissions, and consume about 75 percent of resources and produce 50 percent of the waste worldwide. However, cities also provide income (80 percent of global GDP) and education, and are hotspots for innovation (Acuto & Panel 2016; Wigginton, et al., 2016). The ambiguous role of cities poses large challenges and renders it necessary to develop tools to assess urban strategies and developments from a sustainability perspective.
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- Information
- Sustainability Assessment of Urban Systems , pp. 1 - 4Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020