The 21st Century City

As we look to the future, it is not a question as to whether countries will urbanize, but rather what form of urbanization will take place. 

Existing cities contribute to more than 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and building the cities of the future will increase carbon emissions. At the same time, cities are highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change, including extreme heat, humidity, flooding and sea level rise. 

In this period of rapidly changing land use and climate, cities need practical sustainability solutions to ensure a sustainable, resilient future for their citizens. A 21^st Century City:

• Understands how climate change is currently affecting their city, and which groups of the population are disproportionately affected
• Has knowledge of how climate change is expected to affect their city in coming years
• Invests in implementing sustainability solutions today, in order to safeguard the future.