Originally published by ANU Fenner School of Environment & Society |
25, September 2015
This article, written by Prof. Xuemei Bai, was a part of a series on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the Stockholm Resilience Centre; specifically goal 11–Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
In the 15 years between now and the completion of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030, urbanization will move into overdrive. The speed at which people are moving to cities means that we need the equivalent of a new city of 1 million people every five days. India, China and Nigeria will likely account for 37% of projected growth in urban populations between 2014 and 2050 alone.
Given the scale of expected growth, this is a remarkable opportunity to develop thriving, healthy, liveable cities with low pollution, integrated transport systems and low emissions. In the article Prof. Xuemei Bai goes on to outline 10 items that are essential ingredients required to achieve thriving, prosperous cities. In brief, they are:
- Empowering cities
- National level support
- Integrate new migrants and other vulnerable populations into urban fabric
- City policy & management in context of regional & global interactions
- Coordinated long-term vision
- Prepare for future risks
- Implementation and accountability
- More science in planning and decision-making
- Nurture cultural innovation
- Facilitate city-to-city learning
The full article can be found here.
Xuemei Bai is a professor of Urban Environment and Human Ecology at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANU and a member of Future Earth scientific committee.