Executive Directors’ Foreword
Cities can be dynamic engines of economic and social development but come with a huge environmental footprint. Our cities are also weathering the impacts of climate change, sometimes almost daily. The sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6) identified urbanization as one of five main drivers of environmental change. The report also looked at the impact on cities and city residents of related challenges such as biodiversity loss and pollution. The GEO for Cities looks at these issues, but also presents the types of solutions that can lead to environmentally sustainable and just cities.
To achieve this vision, GEO for Cities proposes that decision- makers act decisively to: achieve net zero circular cities; build resilient and sustainable cities; and, foster inclusive and just cities.
This report links social equity and justice with environmental sustainability to avoid the worst impacts of gentrification and, at the same time, to improve the lives of those living and working in informal settings. Equity and environmental sustainability must go hand in hand if cities are to contribute to the positive transformational change described in this publication.
GEO for Cities also highlights the complexity that city managers are confronted with. Many of us are locked into socio-political or behavioural patterns that prevent us from taking action. In other situations, cities are locked into a particular type of political economy or urban planning approaches that inhibit change. These can lead to physical lock-ins of carbon and energy intensive infrastructure that perpetuate inequity across the city.
However, there are tools, such as participatory governance and innovative city networks that can help cities overcome these lock-ins. GEO for Cities looks to provide real-world pathways for achieving the vision of environmentally sustainable and just cities and to support decision makers in overcoming the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution and waste.
As the voice for human settlements and the environment within the UN system, we are extremely pleased to present a detailed roadmap for decision makers. It is based on the best science we have today and compiled by world- renowned experts. We hope this report will provide practical guidance adding to the extensive work by other groups to propel cities towards a new environmentally sustainable and just future.
Inger Andersen
Maimunah Mohd Sharif
Executive Directors’ Foreword
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