“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” the Brundtland Commission declared in its landmark 1983 report, which called for policy measures to address sustainability. The “needs of the present” are changing quickly. One such way they’re changing: more than half the world’s population now live in urban areas, a demographic that’s only growing. And it is in cities that the hope of sustainable development holds the most promise.
There’s a lot of talk about sustainable development, but when it comes to action, there’s a clear lack of political will. On the global level, the issue is discussed at length and action is called for. On the Canadian federal level, it’s reduced to simpler problems that can be tackled by specific agencies. But this matter isn’t something to simply solve, or solve piecemeal. Sustainability’s complexity and its interconnectedness to the overall human lifestyle demands a deeper and longer term commitment if we’re to truly do justice to future generations. It isn’t a problem that will be solved by a few separate policies; it’s a way of life that must guide all policies. There’s no deadline to achieve sustainable development; it must be an ongoing maxim.
But this is something traditional political systems aren’t used to. Addressing the issue of sustainable development requires bringing together all aspects of human life, or what are known as three imperatives—the environment, the community and the economy. Environmental systems have to be respected; democratic systems have to be upheld in communities; and economic growth has to be sufficient to meet our basic needs. It’s a complex situation, but deserves genuine attention and lasting action.
So here’s an idea that has gathered much force in the last couple decades: while international and federal institutions fumble with the intricacies of sustainable development, it’s local governments, particularly those of cities, that have the power to make meaningful change.
Cities are centres of concentrated human activities, and especially activities that are most significantly responsible for driving an unsustainable system. For instance, in Canada, local governments have control over policies and programs that contribute to about 53 percent of overall national greenhouse gas emissions. Canadian local governments also control—to different degrees—land use planning, waste management, water and wastewater supply treatment, parks and recreation, public transit, building code implementation, municipal buildings, public health and public education. Policymaking in these areas has the potential to effect concrete outcomes that encourage a more sustainable system.
This idea has been voiced by scholars for many years. In 1996, United Nations Environment Programme said, “No one fully understands how, or even if, sustainable development can be achieved; however, there is a growing consensus that it must be accomplished at the local scale if it is ever going to be achieved on a global basis.” The Brundtland report of 1987 also identified local governments and urban centres as drivers of fundamental change.
A sustainable system uses resources to meet basic needs and maintains balance between supply and demand. Industrialization has skewed that balance. We have long harboured a system of overproduction, which has recklessly exploited natural systems and resources. In the process, we have become gluttonous consumers. We have had too much stuff and it has made us want more. But the earth’s resources aren’t endless in supply. Our demands have to be met, but they have to be controlled if we’re ever to come close to a balanced and sustainable system.
This is where urban centres need to take the reins. We live in an increasingly urbanizing world. The United Nations predicts that by 2050 70 percent of the world population will live in urban areas. Today, 80 percent of Canadians live in cities and 67 percent live in metropolises. Managing resources to cater to growing urban populations is already challenging. But it is locally that governments can most effectively turn sustainable development principles into concrete action because these are spaces where most human activities occur—where most activities of production and consumption occur. Local policies then have the potential to be reproduced on the national or global scales. To realize a lasting commitment to sustainability—not a superficial or passing “commitment”—governments of the world have to focus and keep their attention on cities.
