Cities are responsible for producing 80% greenhouse gasses and 75% world energy consumption

IUESA: Seyyed Mohsen Tabatabaei Mozdabadi, General Director of the scientific-research Quarterly Journal of Economics and Urban Management and the secretary of IUESA on the occasion of the World Day of Cities wrote a note for Tasnim News Agency, the text is as follows:

Cities have an ancient civilization. During history, cities were the center of wealth and power, innovation and creativity, dynamicity, and efflorescence from the ancient cities of Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley ancient and Greek city-states to today’s cities. Today, we live in an urbanized world. Currently more than half of the people in the world live in cities and we will live in an urbanized planet with more than 70 percent of urban population by 2050.

Urbanization has been always along with economic development. In modern times, no country has reached to the development unless the majority of its population is urbanized. Politically, cities have been the places for forming and growing liberty, democracy, and civilization, but urbanization has been always faced with problems and challenges. The manner of establishing the balance between rapid growth of urbanization and economic development with sustainable resource management and natural ecosystems is one of the most important challenges.

Cities are responsible for producing 80% greenhouse gasses and 75% world energy consumption and waste resulting from urbanization has endangered life on the Earth. Other issues such as social justice, welfare, health and safety of citizens have resulted in needing a reflection on the literature of the city and urban planning.

Basically October is the month of cities because there are two important urban events in it; World Habitat Day held on the first Monday in October every year and World Cities Day is to be held on October 31. Time interval between these two events is an important opportunity for organizations, cities and governments to discuss and exchange ideas about challenges and issues facing world urbanization and to help urban sustainable development. The topic of discussions in 2015 for these two events is very important and entrepreneur. Both of them follow sustainable development as the slogan of this year’s Habitat Day has been named as public space for the public and design for living together for the World Cities Day.