World Urban Forum Highlights Opportunities for Sustainable Cities

In a blog on the Huffington Post, the authors point out the obvious. That is, obvious to those who are looking and care as opposed to too many who are presently making decisions about cities and sustainability.

The evidence is there.  Design well and all the benefits can follow. Design badly, which is too common, and all the inequities and unsustainable practices come to the fore. As the authors say:

Well-designed cities generate jobs, innovation, and economic growth for all. But when designed poorly — with too much sprawl, waste, and inefficiency — they can divide cities and exacerbate pollution, inequality, and political instability. Moreover, poor design has long-term consequences given that urban infrastructure often lasts decades.

They even bring it down to three issues, Design, Urban Finance, and Citizen Engagement. I have to agree, it is really that simple. Yet how many planning and development authorities do you know who seem not to understand these basics. I know of one right here in Canberra – click here.

For the full blog post co-written on Huffington Post  by Manish Bapna, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, World Resources Institute, with Dario Hidalgo, director of research and practice for the World Resources Institute’s EMBARQ center for sustainable transport. Click Here