by Hank Boerner – Chair & Chief Strategist, G&A Institute
In focus:  With the majority of the population moving into urban centers in coming decades…how can the action of today’s city planners create a better future for us?  Scientific American shares some perspectives.
The Seto Lab at Yale University tells us that in 2008, the global urban population exceeded the world’s rural population for the first time – and that by 2050, 70% of the population will be living in urban areas.  Nearer term, by 2030 there will be 1.5 million square kilometers of new urban land area.  That will triple the global urban land area of the year 2000 as we entered the 21st Century.
The forecasts suggest a limited window opportunity to shape future urban development.  Author Chan Heng Chee offers suggestions in a very interesting Scientific American article for you – our Top Story this week.
Author Chan Heng Chee is Ambassador-at-Large for the Singapore Foreign Ministry, and chair of the Lee Kuan Yew Center for Innovative Cities at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.  We may remember her as the ambassador to the U.S.A. (1996-2012).
She reports from this year’s World Cities Summit  in Singapore, which this year focused on “Livable and Sustainable Cities: Embracing the Future Through Innovation and Sustainable Cities.”
One necessary ingredient for embracing sustainable development:  a visionary leader and a desire to implement the vision.  The availability of the Sustainable Development Goals is another.  Institutional structures are needed to put the vision in place (she offers examples from her home country of Singapore). And the fellowship of the city leaders worldwide is important – the example being the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
The message: You are not alone – and collaboration and cooperation is critical if the civic, business, financial and other sectors are going to make the world’s urban areas sustainable in this century.  This is a fascinating report that you will want to read.
FYI – the Top 10 Cities roster today (in descending order) identifies:  Zurich (#1), Singapore, Stockholm, Vienna, London, Frankfurt, Seoul, Hamburg, Prague, and Munich at #10).
Top Stories
3 Ways Cities Can Become More Sustainable
(Monday – July 09, 2018) Source: Scientific America – With the majority of the population moving into urban centers in coming decades, the actions of city planners now could create a better future for us all. But how?
And related to this story:
UN forum spotlights cities, where struggle for sustainability ‘will be won or lost’
(Friday – July 13, 2018) Source: Modern Diplomacy – Although cities are often characterized by stark socioeconomic inequalities and poor environmental conditions, they also offer growth and development potential – making them central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development…
Cities and states mull straw ban
(Wednesday – July 11, 2018) Source: ABC Ban – Starbucks’ announcement that it will be going strawless soon to help the environment is part of a broader effort from private companies like McDonald’s and Marriott and cities like New York and Seattle to curb the use of plastic…
Information about the Seto Lab and its work in urbanization and global change: https://urban.yale.edu/research/theme-3