Rethinking sustainable cities
This is all in the air
Explore the challenges and opportunities facing us as we build sustainable cities and change our lives for the better.
This is all in the air
In 1926, Montague B. Black shared his vision for the city of London in the year 2026. Skyscrapers stand proud against a new dawn sky filled with flying vehicles.
Almost a hundred years later, the future of our cities is still all in the air.
We stand at a crossroads: act decisively, and the next iteration of our cities will outstrip anything Black could have imagined. Fail to seize this opportunity and we face a spiralling environmental, economic and humanitarian crisis.
Discover the report
This report, Rethinking Sustainable Cities, explores how we can unify our efforts to change our cities for the better, so they protect our planet and people, too.
To achieve this, it sets out how equality and social inclusion must go hand in hand with climate protection and economic growth to ensure long-term success.
Discover the key sections and findings from the report on this page and download the report below.
The obstacles on our path to sustainability
Sustainability isn’t a new issue in our cities and has been high on planning agendas for years.
But the pandemic has brought into sharp focus how infrastructure development has typically favoured short-term financial gains over long-term sustainability.
It has also exposed the limitations of our existing urban design and the negative impact this can have for people’s wellbeing. The inability to work and socialise safely has rendered many city centres empty, while a lack of access to green spaces in residential zones has caused a sense of claustrophobia.
Truly sustainable cities are built on a foundation of inclusivity.
They provide a resilient habitat for existing populations, without compromising that of future generations. Reducing carbon emissions is just one important piece of the puzzle.
Read the report to find out more about the toughest challenges cities face on their path to sustainability.
Making meaningful change
Looking to the long-term, the report explores the potential offered by socially inclusive, environmentally friendly and economically sustainable urban design.
It can be difficult to know where to begin, what might have the biggest impact and how to bring big ideas into fruition. The report looks at three important aspects of building sustainable cities and the opportunities and challenges that we may face in technology, infrastructure and the built environment.
Technology
Technology is the biggest driver of transformational change - and it can influence the way our whole society is structured. Projects such as flexible energy can have far-reaching economic and environmental benefits.
But it’s critical that these projects are supported and funded to enable them to scale.
Infrastructure
Urban infrastructure is critical to the growth of sustainable cities. It’s important to ensure that infrastructure projects are resilient and flexible.
Natural infrastructure is a enormous opportunity and has proved popular during the pandemic as more people engage with green spaces. It can help cities deliver against biodiversity, climate change and carbon goals. However funding can be hard to come by, and more integrated funding and delivery is needed at the planning level.
Built environment
While technology and infrastructure offer new ways of working towards sustainable cities, there’s a lot to be done with our city structure too. Work is required to retrofit, upgrade and improve housing stock, which means we have a change to train and upskill a huge workforce. Post-pandemic, regeneration projects are a chance to think critically and ensure we build for best outcomes.
It’s a radically different way of thinking and building so will require significant re-education for both city planners, builders and individuals.
A blueprint for sustainable cities
The next three years will be pivotal for our cities as we recover and rebuild post-pandemic and it is everyone’s job to keep pushing towards a shared vision.
To build successful, inclusive and sustainable cities, the report calls for the creation of a unified blueprint which can be localised or replicated at scale. Its recommendations for establishing this include:
Redefining value to prioritise wellbeing and inclusion
Educating and empowering individuals to change their behaviours
Overhauling institutional governance to encourage new ways of working
Now is the time to take these learnings and apply them to our transport, infrastructure and city-making projects before it is too late, creating value for the people who live in our cities now and in the future.
Timeline to net zero
We have recently witnessed cities around the world set targets and establish visions for achieving Net Zero. The UK Government has a target to achieve a 68% reduction in emissions by 2030 - but some visions and priority projects mean cities may be on the path to net zero in advance of that date.
But what does this journey look like?
In the report, you can see a timeline of some of the significant changes required to achieve Net Zero and how they might come together in the lead up to 2050.