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SECTORWhat is Urban Sustainability? |
| The majority of the world’s population will soon reside in cities, having local and global impacts on the environment, health, economy, culture and technology. Urbanisation is also present in countries of South Eastern Europe (SEE). Compounding the situation, the field of urban system science crosses many disciplines and is relevant at different scales. To examine urban sustainability requires a new way of thinking about systems and communities.
Urban sustainability requires access to basic services, including adequate shelter, water, food, health and education. It also requires mutually beneficial relationships with vibrant hinterlands and a healthy environment that is able to provide resources and absorb waste, as cities can never really be sustainable on their own. A city can have a mutually beneficial relationship with the world beyond it by respecting the limitations of the resources available to it and the capacity the world has to absorb its waste, and by sharing the innovations and social and economic progress it cultures. A healthy relationship is fostered when city-hinterland connections are strengthened; this happens when, for example, farmers and urban consumers interact and are aware of each others’ situations and needs. It also requires minimising dependency by, for example, using resources such as water efficiently and limiting pollution by, for example, discouraging private car usage. The way cities are designed, the products its residents are encouraged to have and the way resources are distributed all increase or decrease its ability to limit resource use and waste production. In order to improve the urban environment in an effective way, development should start at the grassroots level. Civil society, including community and non-governmental organisations, plays an important role in helping enhance the quality of the urban environment. The community itself has to protect its environment and to actively voice opinions to local authorities about any environmental challenges affecting it. Communities need to share opinions about how to protect and keep the environment clean. Country report downloads and contacts Follow the links to read 1-page PDF files about urban environment challenges in the western Balkans. This text also appears as part of the Master Class’ Intro Materials.
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* A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline (Wikipedia) Meet the
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