Growing cities face mounting challenges

"City living is proving pretty popular. The proportion of people living in urban areas in 1950 was a bit less than one-third. Today, it's more than half. By 2050, two-thirds of the global population will call a city home - a complete reversal of the situation 100 years earlier. The health and happiness of these people, and the world's responses to the specific challenges faced by city-dwellers, are therefore central to the future prospects of humanity."

"Changes to how cities are built might also help to slow climate change. Building with wood, rather than concrete and steel, can reduce a structure's lifetime carbon emissions considerably, and a growing number of architects and engineers are trying to promote the practice. And some cities are ditching natural gas for geothermal energy networks that use bore-holes drilled deep into the ground as an efficient way to heat and cool many buildings at once."

More than half of the global population now lives in urban areas, rising from less than one-third in 1950 and projected to reach two-thirds by 2050. Climate change threatens cities through rising temperatures and increased flooding. 'Supercool' materials can reflect solar heat and help prevent overheating, while restoring waterways gives floodwater room and reduces inundation of streets and buildings. Using wood instead of concrete and steel can substantially reduce lifetime carbon emissions, and geothermal networks that use deep bore-holes can efficiently heat and cool many buildings. Urban greenery promotes mental health, and intentional public-space design can improve wellbeing and address unequal caregiving burdens on women.

Read at Nature