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The Sustainable City
Living sustainably is not just about preserving the wilderness or keeping nature pristine. The transition to a green economy depends on cities. Economic, technological, and cultural forces are moving people out of rural areas and into urban areas. If we are to avert climate catastrophe, we will need our cities to coexist with nature without destroying it. Urbanization holds the key to long-term sustainability, reducing per capita environmental impacts while improving economic prosperity and social inclusion for current and future generations.
The Sustainable City provides a broad and engaging overview of the urban systems of the twenty-first century. It approaches urban sustainability from the perspectives of behavioral change, organizational management, and public policy, looking at case studies of existing legislation, programs, and public-private partnerships that strive to align modern urban life and sustainability. The book synthesizes the disparate strands of sustainable city planning in an approachable and applicable guide that highlights how these issues touch our lives on a daily basis, including the transportation we take, the public health systems that protect us, where our energy comes from, and what becomes of our food waste.
This second edition of The Sustainable City dives deeper into the financing of sustainable infrastructure and initiatives and puts additional emphasis on the roles that individual citizens and varied stakeholders can play. It also reviews current trends in urban inequality and discusses whether a model of sustainability that embraces a multidimensional approach to development and a multistakeholder approach to decision making can foster social inclusion. It features many more examples and new international case studies spanning the globe.
The Sustainable City provides a broad and engaging overview of the urban systems of the twenty-first century. It approaches urban sustainability from the perspectives of behavioral change, organizational management, and public policy, looking at case studies of existing legislation, programs, and public-private partnerships that strive to align modern urban life and sustainability. The book synthesizes the disparate strands of sustainable city planning in an approachable and applicable guide that highlights how these issues touch our lives on a daily basis, including the transportation we take, the public health systems that protect us, where our energy comes from, and what becomes of our food waste.
This second edition of The Sustainable City dives deeper into the financing of sustainable infrastructure and initiatives and puts additional emphasis on the roles that individual citizens and varied stakeholders can play. It also reviews current trends in urban inequality and discusses whether a model of sustainability that embraces a multidimensional approach to development and a multistakeholder approach to decision making can foster social inclusion. It features many more examples and new international case studies spanning the globe.
352 pages, Paperback
Published June 15, 2021
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202 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 25, 2019
An interesting and informative read - although I feel that some of the case studies were more a general study of where our cities are headed in the future (and the challenges they face in doing so), as apposed to a compelling example of why transitioning to sustainable alternatives is a great solution. Worthwhile.
March 6, 2022
I really appreciated this book as a primer on sustainable practices in urban settings. I think Cohen does a really fantastic job at presenting the pros and cons of a variety of different interventions. I feel like he also chose a really great selection to highlight the range of options being implemented around the globe. For example, his chapter on mass transit considered bus rapid transit systems in Bogota, high-speed rail in China, and Tesla in the US showing the range of options at are disposal.
That being said, I wish there was a little more depth on some of these issues. Maybe that's unfair to ask from a book that intends to be more of an intro to concepts, but I found myself wanting more detail and nuance for a lot of these issues, especially the chapter on the sharing economy. I think there's a lot of good that can be said about sharing resources, especially really resource-intensive ones like cars. But any discussion about Uber is remiss without mentioning the precarity of the gig economy and the impact it has on workers. The same goes for Airbnb. It has really cool potential to let you put money in the hands of locals and to gain intimate knowledge of an area as a tourist. At the same time, it's a significant driver of the affordable housing crisis in many cities and I feel like the chapter really glossed over some of these issues.
I think the book also failed to consider political and economic forces. It seems to present the existing technologies we could use if we but follow the blueprint. I agree that many of the cited examples would be perfect to implement in many of our cities, but the political and economic realities facing many cities make them unrealistic. Again, perhaps that wasn't part of the scope of this work, but I would have loved to see some discussion of how to navigate these complexities in order to implement these brilliant solutions.
All in all, a well-balanced look at some of the major issues cities face in the path to sustainability. This book is a great launching point for someone interested in learning about solutions. With the right supplements, this can be a great roadmap for the future.
That being said, I wish there was a little more depth on some of these issues. Maybe that's unfair to ask from a book that intends to be more of an intro to concepts, but I found myself wanting more detail and nuance for a lot of these issues, especially the chapter on the sharing economy. I think there's a lot of good that can be said about sharing resources, especially really resource-intensive ones like cars. But any discussion about Uber is remiss without mentioning the precarity of the gig economy and the impact it has on workers. The same goes for Airbnb. It has really cool potential to let you put money in the hands of locals and to gain intimate knowledge of an area as a tourist. At the same time, it's a significant driver of the affordable housing crisis in many cities and I feel like the chapter really glossed over some of these issues.
I think the book also failed to consider political and economic forces. It seems to present the existing technologies we could use if we but follow the blueprint. I agree that many of the cited examples would be perfect to implement in many of our cities, but the political and economic realities facing many cities make them unrealistic. Again, perhaps that wasn't part of the scope of this work, but I would have loved to see some discussion of how to navigate these complexities in order to implement these brilliant solutions.
All in all, a well-balanced look at some of the major issues cities face in the path to sustainability. This book is a great launching point for someone interested in learning about solutions. With the right supplements, this can be a great roadmap for the future.
April 1, 2018
Steven Cohen has produced a remarkable and well worth reading example of environmentalism which marries solid research with sopherific optimism. Don't get me wrong, this book is something everyone who loves the environment should pick up immediately. Anyone who loves the planet regardless of being left or right should pick this up. Why? Simply the stats and examples are so precise and comprehensive that it reads like a text book for a future society. This is how to do it, this is what you have to do, almost step by step. You can't argue with this research and exactness.
The problem, if there is one, is that the premise of the book appears to be that all you need to do is put the right technology and policies in place and before you know it we are ready for the future. The problem of inequality barely scratches the surface of this work. Waste is profitable, creating scarcity and having a strangle hold on resources is profitable and makes a small number of people powerful. Its not that we can't fix the environmental problems, its not simply a matter of following Steven Cohen's blue print.
Whether Kissinger actually said it or not there is some truth to the statement, "Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world." Capitalism is not about stuff, its a zero sum game of power, and in that game the environment bedamned.
Political Economic control and its concomitant sabotage on the shared wealth and resources of the planet is whats stopping the environmental crisis from being solved. That said, if we are able to solve tackle inequality of power and wealth, we should then pick up Steven Cohen's book to see how to fix the planet.
The problem, if there is one, is that the premise of the book appears to be that all you need to do is put the right technology and policies in place and before you know it we are ready for the future. The problem of inequality barely scratches the surface of this work. Waste is profitable, creating scarcity and having a strangle hold on resources is profitable and makes a small number of people powerful. Its not that we can't fix the environmental problems, its not simply a matter of following Steven Cohen's blue print.
Whether Kissinger actually said it or not there is some truth to the statement, "Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world." Capitalism is not about stuff, its a zero sum game of power, and in that game the environment bedamned.
Political Economic control and its concomitant sabotage on the shared wealth and resources of the planet is whats stopping the environmental crisis from being solved. That said, if we are able to solve tackle inequality of power and wealth, we should then pick up Steven Cohen's book to see how to fix the planet.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews