City University of New York
Baruch College
Humanity is now entering the Anthropocene Age, which the future will be able to judge either by global geologic evidence of humanity’s failures or by the successful creation of a sustainable urbanity. It is clear that the present US... more
Humanity is now entering the Anthropocene Age, which the future will be able to judge either by global geologic evidence of humanity’s failures or by the successful creation of a sustainable urbanity. It is clear that the present US political administration, and many rural areas around the world, can or will not work to accomplish this, so the present article focuses on what urban areas can do to bring about environmental sustainability. To accomplish this, we will need to deal not only with creating models of environmental sustainability, but we must also create economic, governance, quality of life and urban planning models supportive of both urban and environmental sustainability. This manifesto endeavors to identify the values and practices that must be stopped, the principals that must be honored, and the interconnected strategies through which our urban areas can fashion themselves into fully sustainable cities. The development of a new shared economy to replace the current pr...
- by Glenn R Erikson
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The world has entered the Anthropocene Age, a geologic epoch demonstrably different from all others, identifiable by its pronounced human activity [1,2]. As with the Mesozoic (the Dinosaur Era) and the Quaternary (the Ice Ages), there... more
The world has entered the Anthropocene Age, a geologic epoch demonstrably different from all others, identifiable by its pronounced human activity [1,2]. As with the Mesozoic (the Dinosaur Era) and the Quaternary (the Ice Ages), there will be traits left in sedimentary rocks currently forming that will distinguish the Anthropocene Age. Already, we are in the midst of the planet's sixth mass extinction, radioactive isotopes from atomic blasts and accidents at nuclear power plants have spread worldwide, toxic industrial waste has contaminated every continent and every ocean, and rising CO 2 and methane emissions have only just begun to expedite processes such as sea level rise and ocean acidification [1,3-5]. Anyone-or all-of these have the potential to become the geologic signature for human presence, depending on their ultimate severity. Alternatively, the continued evolution of our shared civilization, begun several millennia ago, into a geologically sustainable civilization, identifiable by the vitality of its urbanity over geologic time could also be the signature of our presence. This is our collective choice. If it is to be the latter, our Western civilization has a good many problems to solve first. Urban areas are more productive than rural areas, producing far more economic activity. In 2009 China developed 40% of its GNP from it 35 largest cities, containing only 16.6% of its population [6]. In the US almost 85% of US GDP is created from its 259 largest cities, so both our problems and their solutions begin in our cities [7]. In the Anthropocene Age, cities are just one more part of the natural world. Many problems we might consider rural in fact are rooted in urban issues; for example, strip coal mining is driven by urban power needs. Plus, urban and rural development is swallowing up our land; 10% of remaining wilderness areas have been lost in the last 20 years. The undeveloped territory now accounts for only 23% of the world's land mass [8]. Urban stresses will only continue to increase: The rising global population, expected to increase by approximately 44% by 2100, is accompanied by a mass migration from rural areas to urban ones [9,10]. As a result, urban populations could easily double in the next 50 years, primarily in the developing world, and with Africa as the epicenter, where infrastructure, jobs, and healthcare are severely lacking. This has resulted in a rapidly accelerated anthropogenic entropy a host of additional undesirable outcomes [11]. Should a significant proportion of this population become consumers on a Western scale, one can only imagine the increasingly rapid degrading or depletion of our renewable and non-renewable resources [12,13]. Plus, the majority of these urban areas are in coastal locations where sea levels could rise one to three meters in this century, and potentially to 10 meters if global warming is not halted [14]. Meanwhile, many cities have an aging infrastructure, an increasing gap in income and wealth, a diminishing middle class, and persistent segregation [15]. Compounding these issues, multinational conglomerates are making their profits in the developed world's urban areas, yet are moving their manufacturing jobs, profits, and taxes offshore , denying many cities the resources they need to mitigate ABSTRACT Humanity is now entering the Anthropocene Age, which the future will be able to judge either by global geologic evidence of humanity's failures or by the successful creation of a sustainable urbanity. It is clear that the present US political administration, and many rural areas around the world, can or will not work to accomplish this, so the present article focuses on what urban areas can do to bring about environmental sustainability. To accomplish this, we will need to deal not only with creating models of environmental sustainability, but we must also create economic, governance, quality of life and urban planning models supportive of both urban and environmental sustainability. This manifesto endeavors to identify the values and practices that must be stopped, the principals that must be honored, and the interconnected strategies through which our urban areas can fashion themselves into fully sustainable cities. The development of a new shared economy to replace the current primacy of global laissez-faire capitalism, the need to establish democratic urban governance worldwide, to put enhancement of quality of life ahead of GNP growth, and the establishment of urban planning and design guidelines will provide a path towards global sustainability of our common human heritage into a future of geologic time and space.