Envisioning a Great Green City: The Nature Conservancy’s vision for a sustainable urban century helps imagine cities that are not apart from nature—but a part of nature. We can aspire to cities where people and nature both thrive; truly flourishing communities where green space is seen not as a luxury – but critical urban infrastructure that effectively addresses some of cities’ biggest challenges.
By 2050, two of every three people on Earth will live in a city. This human migration from rural to urban lives is unprecedented and is projected to result in the rapid urbanization of a land area the size of France, driving habitat loss as well as the degradation of lands that we rely on to protect our drinking water and grow our food. Poorly planned urban growth could even interfere with cities’ best defence against a changing climate—the natural systems that sequester and mitigate greenhouse gases and help communities adapt to climate change. Rather than embracing nature, however, we’ve built our cities and towns to work against it. A shift to natural solutions can help cities address myriad challenges.
But cities are far more than a problem to be solved. As centers of innovation and inspiration, full of young people with the drive to change the world – cities can be our solution. We can aspire to cities where people and nature both thrive; truly flourishing communities where green space is not as a luxury, but as critical urban infrastructure that effectively addresses some of urban planning’s biggest challenges.