'One Planet' Cities: Sustaining Humanity within Planetary Limits

'One Planet' Cities: Sustaining Humanity within Planetary Limits

by David Thorpe (Author)

Synopsis

By 2100, around 84% of the estimated 11.2 billion people on Earth are expected to live in cities. Yet even now humanity is consuming the equivalent of 1.8 Earths. Can future humanity live within planetary limits? If so, what might tomorrow's cities be like?

This book compares the standards being trailed for sustainable cities and offers criteria for which a community might act. Utilising interviews with important societies, including the Global Footprint Network, World Futures Council and the WWF, alongside chief players, including mayors of key cities, the book critiques 'sustainable city' initiatives supported by pan-global organisations, asking if they are sufficient to meet the challenge. The book draws on case studies from across the globe, including the UK, US, Mexico, Australia, South Africa, China and Columbia.

Cities consume resources from the rest of the world, and unless those resources are both replenished in their place of origin and reclaimed for reuse in closed loop systems, then cities cannot survive indefinitely. This book concludes by charting a potential path for cities to follow to move towards a genuinely sustainable pathway for the management of cities of the future and their supply chains.

This book will be of great interest to practitioners and policymakers involved in urban environments and sustainability, alongside students of the built environment, urban planning, environmental policy and energy.

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More Information

Format: Illustrated
Pages: 330
Edition: 1
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 13 May 2019

ISBN 10: 1138615102
ISBN 13: 9781138615106

Media Reviews

The earth's resources are finite, but we consume and denigrate them as if they are unlimited. This is a recipe for a catastrophic future. In 'One Planet' Cities, David Thorpe not only sounds the alarm but provides us with richly detailed, real-world examples of how to live within our means. -- F. Kaid Benfield, Senior Counsel for Environmental Strategies, PlaceMakers LLC, USA

Wales may have its own legislation to create a harmonious future for people and planet, but we still need help to navigate the global evidence and help us on that path. With this book, David Thorpe has demonstrated that he can be that guide, helping us reach our own pathways at country, city or individual level on the basis of global science and evidence. Wherever you live, this book must be read and most importantly, acted upon. -- Jane Davidson, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Engagement & Sustainability, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, UK

Author Bio
David Thorpe is a lecturer on one planet living at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, a consultant on renewable energy and sustainable building, and Founder/Patron of One Planet Council. He is author of numerous articles and books, including Passive Solar Architecture Pocket Reference (Routledge, 2017), Solar Energy Pocket Reference (Routledge, 2017) and The One Planet Life (Routledge, 2015).