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International Journal of Environment and Sustainability, 2016, 5(2): 1-11 5
developing countries remain persistent obsta- dependent sprawl becomes unaffordable –
cles to a comprehensive global climate treaty. will this lead to a suburban exodus?
We also face increasing energy costs, transport
congestion and housing shortages in most cities - Social media can reveal issues and quickly
(Haas 2008; Berners-Lee and Clark 2013; Urry circulate stories; for instance, large corpo-
2013). Despite all this, energy demands and the rations polluting the environment.
use of primary energy from fossil fuels – and
consequently carbon emissions – are rapidly - Mobility has emerged as a new paradigm.
rising.Unfortunately, the green dream of Mobility now characterises and dominates our
weaning the world off fossil fuels remains far lives, as we travel faster and farther, but still
off. spend more time in transit (between home
and work), which will lead to new roles for
Experts have identified the following mega public spaces. Why does today’s mobility still
trends affecting cities and shaping our urban mean high-carbon travel?
future:
- Smart environments: Surveillance cameras,
- Globalization: global economic power is smart meters and computers are getting
shifting from Europe and North America to installed everywhere, inside buildings and
Asia and Latin America. outside in public space − but unseen: ubiqui-
tous computing is already with us, with
- Demographic change: urban populations are computers in our cars, phones, fridges and
increasing, with an ageing population in many toys. But we still have to use keyboards to
countries. input information. Information processing
devices are steadily getting smaller and will
- We are moving towards a global knowledge soon be virtually everywhere, completely
economy, and the rise of this knowledge- invisible and without the need for keyboards.
intensive economy is reshaping our cities and By 2030, we will be surrounded by computers
workplaces. that perform autonomously, but will be utterly
unaware of their presence. 3D-printers will
- The global middle class is rapidly expanding, allow for personal fabrication in every home.
increasing consumption levels, especially in The ability to produce our own products in
developing countries; at the same time, urban our very own homes will upset and completely
sprawl is still happening in many places, change traditional models of manufacturing.
without regard for its consequences on urban
infrastructure and loss of agricultural land. - Experts are moving away from simplistic
linear approaches to urban development, to
- Climate change: greenhouse gas emissions complex dynamic network systems and
keep rising; reductions are not happening as systems thinking, understanding the impor-
planned, nor as fast as necessary. tance of interlinked and inter-reliant systems.
- The world could be running out of some - More and more municipalities require an
resources, while we still waste so much evidence base for their urban policies; they
energy, water, raw materials, food and space. have a strong focus on low carbon mobility,
renewable energy, waste management, re-
- Environmental degradation and fossil-fuel source recovery and the reintegration of
dependent systems jeopardize people’s quality biodiversity in the urban environment; some
of life. For instance, the supply of drinking cities even have ambitious targets such as
water has become critical and sea levels may being ‘climate neutral’ or becoming the
rise very quickly. ‘greenest city’ in their region.
- Urbanisation continues, causing challenges of These mega trends are changing the way we
social inclusion and equity, while there is perceive cities and how we understand the
more and more competition between cities to relationship between our own lifestyle, the city
attract investment and a skilled workforce and the environmental crisis. Clearly, now that
(which is the most important resource of all).
With rising energy and fuel costs, car-
Science Target Inc. www.sciencetarget.com
