About the Unit

Cities occupy only 3% of the world’s landmass, yet house more than 50% of the global population (UN Population Report, 2019). As such, they are often considered as the engines of global development (World Bank, 1991). However urban areas and their residents use a disproportionate 70% of global resources. The patterns of consumption, pollution, socio-cultural alienation, and environmental disparities make many cities unliveable, unsustainable, and vulnerable to global events and challenges. It is, therefore, evident that to achieve global sustainability, cities around the world need to be sustainable (Jenks and Jones 2010). In turn, these cities need to continue to attract people beyond economic migrants, by offering a resilient and liveable environment to live and contribute to human society.