If this human element is not taken into account, if people are forced to adapt to technology rather than control it, then technology is likely to fail. Technological solutions must be responsive to that community's needs, capabilities, limitations and existing conditions. Putting communities at the center of a technical innovation is critical to making that innovation sustainable. Urban environmental, social, and economic sustainability is essential for global sustainability. Concentrating human populations in cities is an environmental necessity to create economies of scale and resource efficiencies.
Dense populations leave open space for either agriculture or natural wilderness areas.
The urban poor tend to occupy the most ecologically fragile and service-deprived areas of our cities. Without alternative locations to settle and sufficient income to cook and keep warm, their survival will increasingly be pitted against environmental needs. The most creative and resource-efficient solutions to urban problems tend to emerge at the grassroots level, closest to the problems being solved. Without local participation, even the best ideas are doomed to failure. While small may be beautiful, it's still small.