Urbanism Dreams
Appreciating the built environment and shaping our future cities.
Growing up in the 90s, I was captivated by technological innovation. At the dawn of the Internet, we witnessed the birth of email, websites, and online chatrooms that connected us like never before. Colourful Apple Mac computers teased a vibrant, tech-enabled future, a spirit of progress embodied in shows like The Jetsons and Star Trek that showcased technological marvels.
Rapid urbanization has reshaped societies across the globe in recent decades, with larger populations migrating from rural to urban areas in search of greater economic opportunities and a better quality of life. This shift demands more attention to how we design, develop, and manage.
“One thing The Jetsons couldn’t have foreseen is how large cities would grow or how important sustainability would become to their prosperity. From just over 3 billion people in 1962, the world’s population has grown to more than 7 billion today and is on a trajectory to surpass 9 billion by 2050. Cities, in particular, are experiencing rapid change. Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in an urban area; by 2050, that fraction will grow to two-thirds.”
Fueled by our current economic systems, this growth has serious consequences. Overreliance on polluting industries, resource inefficiencies, and car-centric infrastructure are just a few ways we produce the excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that drive climate change. The record-breaking temperatures Canada experienced in 2023 make the consequences of our actions undeniable.
Yet, a shift towards sustainability is underway, and cities around the world are recognizing the urgent need to adapt.
Thinking like an urbanist
Urbanism examines ‘how inhabitants of urban areas, such as towns and cities, interact with the built environment’; it’s a key framework for city planners, urban developers, architects, politicians, etc.
By extension, citizens who enjoy city life and are inspired to respond to climate change are increasingly embracing an ‘urbanist’ mindset. They appreciate the built environment around them and its potential to enable sustainable and advanced lifestyles with less consumption, sprawl and pollution.
Here are some of the main functions of our communities that we can make more resilient:
Transportation: access to low to no carbon options like walking, biking and taking public transit to move around and commute are essential. Heavy reliance on private vehicles enabled by car-centric infrastructure leads to traffic congestion and carbon emissions - for example, it accounts for over 40% of Toronto’s overall GHG emissions.
Resource Efficiency: dense urban areas demand smart management of energy, water, and waste systems. They must adapt to increasing weather extremes like floods, rising sea levels, and hurricanes. We can all play a small part in the circular economy to better use resources and minimize waste.
Food Systems: by adjusting our diets, promoting local food sources, advocating for sustainable production, and reducing food waste, we can collectively address 25% of global GHG emissions.
Buildings and Infrastructure: creating energy-efficient and resilient buildings is essential for sustainable cities. Infrastructure development should prioritize energy efficiency, resilience to weather extremes, and human-centric design to ensure livability for a denser population.
Social Cohesion and Culture: lack of awareness about sustainability issues stems from multiple aspects of our socio-economic reality, including rising costs of living and the spread of misinformation. Development decisions need to be equitable as much as they are effective and innovative.
Building livable cities
Our built environments are facing pressures from a complex world. Climate change disrupts our way of life with frequent extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and threats to core infrastructure. Population migrations strain cities, and rising costs of living threaten our health and well-being, diluting the economic diversity that give our cities their unique character.
Lower-income communities are disproportionately affected - and while international leaders acknowledge this, pledged funding to address climate damages remains elusive. Furthermore, our world becomes increasingly interconnected and travel becomes accessible to a wider population, with projections that a quarter of all carbon emissions could be from flying by 2050.
Though there’s a lot we can be optimistic about. Emerging technologies, evolving urban design and a growing emphasis on citizen engagement are driving positive change. The potential of AI technology, alongside other data-driven tools, holds real promise to improve urban planning and policymaking to drive better results for the public.
With a flexible, compassionate, and multidimensional approach, our communities can evolve to support both larger populations and enhanced living conditions. Trade-offs between growth and sustainability were once seen as inevitable and today, we’re finding innovative ways to overcome these perceived limits with a renewing relationship with nature.
Our challenges are monumental, but they should get easier with increased awareness and collective effort.