Sustainable Cities Needed!

Background:

Many communities are implementing smart growth initiatives in an effort to consider long range, sustainable planning goals. “Smart growth is about helping every town and city become a more economically prosperous, socially equitable, and environmentally sustainable place to live.” Smart growth focuses on building cities that embrace the E’s of sustainability—Economically prosperous, socially Equitable, and Environmentally Sustainable. This task is more important than ever because the world is rapidly urbanizing. It is projected that by 2050, 66 percent of the world’s population will be urban—this will result in a projected 2.5 billion people being added to the urban population. Consequently, urban planning has become increasingly important and necessary to ensure that people have access to equitable and sustainable homes, resources and jobs.