Co-chair’s Foreword


The GEO for Cities journey began in May 2019, when the Advisory Committee was convened to discuss how this publication could cover environmental trends; the diversity of cities ; resource constraints and inequality in cities and across the world; visions for transformation; and the potential of cities to be transformative. While we were focused intensely on the future and the next five, 10, 20 and even 50 years – especially in terms of urbanization and cities and environmental impact and sustainability – none of us could have foreseen the turbulence of the immediate future.


Since work started on GEO for Cities, approximately 70 billion tons of carbon dioxide have been emitted into the atmosphere, the world’s urban population has grown by 159 million people, 20 million hectares of forests have been lost and 16 million tons of plastic have been dumped into the ocean. We have also seen the global COVID-19 pandemic sweep across the planet, widespread protests for racial justice in cities and towns around the world, people facing job losses, cities grappling with cuts to municipal budgets, devastating forest fires spreading in urban and peri-urban areas in Australia and the western United States, catastrophic flooding in cities in Indonesia, India and Europe, a record hurricane season in the Atlantic and crops and livelihoods destroyed by a locust plague in East Africa.


From the global to the individual level, our world is changing at a rapid pace and we need inspiration and solutions more than ever at this critical juncture. We hope this report rises to these challenge and that its careful consideration of the current situation can catalyse and contribute to action and better outcomes for cities, people, the planet and the environment.


Some of the questions explored here concern the past and present. What are the urban dynamics that have resulted in environmental degradation and inequality? How can we overcome barriers to create a more sustainable future in different types of cities? How are cities affecting fresh water, land, biodiversity, the oceans and air? And how are changes in these dimensions of the environment affecting cities?


Other parts of the report address the future: What are innovative, ground-breaking visions for an environmentally sustainable and just future in cities for both people and nature? What are some of the pathways for transformative actions in cities and where can we find stories of success and hope?


The report covers a wide range of environmental, social and economic issues while providing key starting points to take action and convert transformative visions into reality. Given how diverse cities are, different aspects of the report may resonate in some places more than others. For some cities, the inequality highlighted in chapter 2 and the air pollution issues described in chapter 3 may be the most


8 GEO for Cities


pressing issues. Here, the equitability and urban mobility of the second and third dimensions of the vision in chapter 4 may provide the best starting point. In other cities, where the COVID-19 pandemic may be a catalyst, the case study on Cape Town in chapter 5 provides an example of how a severe shock can lead a city to create institutions focused on long-term and inclusive urban resilience.


The report addresses different urban stakeholders. For young people, the problems caused by the current political economy and limited job opportunities (chapter 2), combined with acute concerns about climate change and marine plastics pollution (chapter 3) may point to a focus on circular cities and decarbonization (dimension one in chapter 4). Inspiration may be found in case studies on integrated policies for decarbonizing different sectors in Toronto, Canada, and on redesigning material flows in a circular way with social justice and job creation integrated as end goals in Alappuzha, India.


This document has not been produced in isolation, disconnected from other assessments, efforts and initiatives. Instead, it builds on many valuable and insightful reports on cities and climate change and the growth of cities that have come before it. It also acts as a bridge to other GEO reports, including the GEO-6 comprehensive assessment of environmental trends and pathways, GEO for Youth, which is focused on youth engagement and action for tackling environmental crises, and GEO for Business, which highlights the role of business in building a better future for all.


The past two years have affected us all: at the global level, with restrictions on movement and changes in priorities and attention; at the national level, with economic and logistical struggles; and also at the city level, with changes to the urban fabric and rhythms of life. The pandemic has affected us as individuals too, impacting the way we work, causing our personal and professional lives to intersect, requiring us to deal with loss and suffering, and changing our view of what matters most and how we connect with our cities and our environment.


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