This special issue is rooted in an unexpected faith in cities a faith that cities are good for people and good for the earth. This faith is unexpected because people often have the opposite view that cities are the home of humanity's darker impulses and most wasteful behaviors.
Cities are insatiable consumers of resources and profligate producers of pollution.
They exert tremendous ecological pressures on the rest of the planet. But cities also present opportunities. By concentrating population in compact areas, they can help conserve the land. By developing sophisticated treatment systems, they can minimize the water pollution of millions of people. By promoting compact neighborhoods and public transit, they can reduce housing costs and dependence on the automobile.