Exploring Sustainable Development

5

Forecasting Urban Futures: ASystems Analytical Perspective onthe Development of SustainableUrban Regions

Gordon Mitchell

Introduction

Throughout history, urban settlements have displayed both the best and the worst of human achievement. Towns and cities have acted as major centres of economic activity, political decision-making and cultural creativity. But they have also been the seats of many of the most severe social and environmental problems generated by demographic and economic growth. The 20th century saw an unprecedented increase in the global scale of urbanization. As a result, around half of the world’s 6 billion people are now urban residents and the concentration of population in individual cities has reached new heights. In 1950 ...