A pointed argument that cities-not nation-states-can and must take the lead in fighting climate change. Climate change is the most urgent challenge we face in an interdependent world where independent nations have grown increasingly unable to cooperate effectively, even on the urgent issue of sustainability. Can cities do better? Benjamin R. Barber argues that with more than half the world's population, 80 percent of both its GDP and its greenhouse...

"Welcome to our green city! You'll find flowers, trees, animals... and wind turbines, electric cars, and solar panels, too. In this city, a utopian imagination of what a sustainable community could look like, neighbours from diverse backgrounds come together to care for their surroundings and one another. As readers are invited on a journey through the city, they learn about what makes it environmentally friendly, from electric transportation to green...

Mexico City was built not near water but in the middle of a lake. To supply it with fresh water is such a task that it makes it compulsory to bring it from other states. In addition, once sewage water leaves the city, it ends up in agriculture. This film is an environmental case study of the Valley of Mexico as it struggles to save itself while its population grows. Can a mega-city mobilize its 22 million citizens to become water sustainable?

Climate change continues to impact our health and safety, the economy, and natural systems. With climate-related protections and programs under attack at the federal level, it is critical for cities to address climate impacts locally. Every day there are new examples of cities approaching the challenge of climate change in creative and innovative ways--from rethinking transportation, to greening city buildings, to protecting against sea-level rise....

A presentation of key findings and insights from over two decades of research, education, and community engagement in the acclaimed Baltimore Ecosystem Study. In a world of over seven billion people-who mostly reside in cities and their suburbs and exurbs-the Baltimore Ecosystem Study is recognized as a pioneering program for modern urban social-ecological science, critical to the emerging theory of urban ecology. After two decades of research, education,...

Kate Orff, 2017 MacArthur Fellow, has an optimistic and transformative message about our world: we can bring together social and ecological systems to sustainably remake our cities and landscapes. Part monograph, part manual, part manifesto, Toward an Urban Ecology reconceives urban landscape design as a form of activism, demonstrating how to move beyond familiar and increasingly outmoded ways of thinking about environmental, urban, and social issues...

"Legal scholar and architect Sara C. Bronin examines how zoning became such a prevailing force and reveals its impact--and its potential for good. Outdated zoning codes have maintained racial segregation, prioritized cars over people, and enabled great ecological harm. But, as Bronin argues, once we recognize the power of zoning, we can harness it to create the communities we desire, and deserve. Drawing on her own experience leading the overhaul...

"The Futureproof City creates adaptability and resiliency in the face of the unknown challenges resulting from technological change, population explosion, global pandemic, and environmental crisis. A paradigm shift is urgently required in the means of conceiving, delivering, and managing city development to create better places to live. This book brings to the fore many new solutions currently being proposed and piloted globally, identifying ten key...