Report
The Weight of Cities
Resource Requirements of Future Urbanization
This report stresses the importance of resource monitoring and the integration of cross-sector urban actions to prepare for urban growth and climate change.
Without a new approach to urbanization, material consumption by the world’s cities will grow from 40 billion tonnes in 2010 to about 90 billion tonnes by 2050. The resource use implications and environmental impacts of urbanization are significant. Resources should now become a central policy concern, in addition to concerns about climate change.
This report presents a strategy of parallel actions on urban planning, sustainable infrastructure design, and cross-sector resource efficiency that are required for a transition towards low-carbon and socially inclusive cities. Monitoring key resource indicators to better understand current and future resource dependencies and embedding resource efficiency into spatial planning will be critical for policymakers to improve urban productivity. City leaders can utilize this report’s new governance model, innovative business propositions, and other recommendations to make this urban transition possible. This report was produced by UNEP.
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UrbanShift Annual Report
UrbanShift's inaugural annual report serves as an inspiring portfolio of the program's first year in action as well as a handbook for our strategy to achieve sustainable, low-carbon growth in more than 23 cities across three continents.
Leveraging urban nature to create inclusive and equitable cities
As cities continue to expand their built environment, maintaining equity and inclusion becomes even more critical. Join us to learn about the challenges and opportunities of using nature as a tool to build more inclusive cities.
Reflections from International Youth Day
UrbanShift's Youth Day webinar highlighted inspiring youth and city led sustainability initiatives from China, India, Indonesia and Sierra Leone, with speakers reiterating the importance of meaningfully engaging young people in climate action.
Buenos Aires City Academy
The first UrbanShift City Academy in Latin America and the Caribbean brought together participants from 25 cities to receive training on urban biodiversity planning and management and designing vibrant, people-centric neighborhoods.
