A narrow focus on sustainable cities, for instance, can lead to the idea that cities should only draw on natural resources from within the immediate region, which seems increasingly at odds with the globalization of the world economy.
Cities are clearly central to meeting the goals of sustainable development.
The majority of the world's population will soon live in towns and cities. As previous chapters have made clear, this involves not just providing physical necessities such as food, fuel, and water but adequate livelihoods and other social, cultural, health, and political needs as well. In wealthier cities, the second part of the equation, sustainable development, assumes increasing importance, and the priority actions center on reducing both excessive consumption of natural resources and the burden of wastes on the global environment. Such initiatives include reducing fossil fuel consumption, for example, through energy conservation and more efficient transportation systems, and reducing the amount of waste through pollution prevention. The challenge for all cities is to seek new management approaches that both provide for the needs of urban residents and protect the environmental resources on which human life depends.