Urban Sustainability Transformations in lights of resource efficiency and resilient city concepts
Section snippets
Introduction on content and methodology
Within current global development agendas, for example, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, cities are acknowledged as key players for active engagement towards sustainability pathways [1]. This often implies fundamental changes in terms of transforming the way cities work [2, 3]. Urban transformations towards sustainability are considered as non-linear expressions of complex interactions and consequences of a wide range of processes [4]. This acknowledges sustainability as a
The Resource Efficient City
As a consequence of ongoing urbanization processes, there is increasing competition for resources such as land, drinking water, energy, or ecosystem services [10]. In response to these phenomena, the concept of the Resource Efficient City, first of all, deals with the relationship between a growing percentage of urban dwellers, with their specific demands, and the intensive use of resources [11]. In response, a more just and sustainable form of living and consumption is needed [12••].
The Resilient City
Urban resilience targets the strengthening of the urban system against disturbances, and at constructing functions and structures that are less vulnerable in case of crisis or extreme events [9]. Resilience ‘is framed as an explicitly desirable state’ to be achieved ‘and, therefore, should be negotiated among those who enact it empirically’ [26•:39]. Further on, creating resilience in complex systems, such as a city, involves trade-offs. Achieving resilience at one scale can reduce resilience
Underpinning the merit of people-centred approaches
Summing up from the findings of the literature review, it is obvious that both concepts, the Resource Efficient City and the Resilient City, still have not achieved full implementation in everyday life, despite existing knowledge on possible technical solutions and, at least in some cities, the presence of political will. We found that the implementation gap evolves around the appropriate engagement and information of the local population.
In positive terms: Addressing the impacts of necessary
General conclusions on UST
Coming back to our initial statement that UST, in general, call for deliberative governance processes between a wide range of actors and the consideration of targets and power relations, we come to an overall conclusion from the insights about the Resource Efficient City and the Resilient City: In particular, it is the combination between political will and local, people-centred approaches that drives the success of UST. One example is provided by grass root initiatives that engage with local
References and recommended reading
Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:
• of special interest
•• of outstanding interest
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