Transformation towards sustainability - the global urbanisation shift (WBGU)

More and more people throughout the world are living in urban areas. This urbanisation megatrend generates both enormous opportunities and challenges for the transformation towards sustainability. With a view to the upcoming UN-Habitat world summit in 2016, the project aims to develop a new urban agenda for the 21st Century. The new agenda should be based on a people-oriented approach, a novel and broad conception of welfare and a comprehensive understanding of sustainability.

Project Lead:
Dirk Messner
Clara Brandi

Frauke Kraas
Claus Leggewie
Peter Lemke
Ellen Matthies
Nebojsa Nakicenovic
Hans Joachim Schellnhuber
Sabine Schlacke
Uwe Schneidewind

Financing:
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) and Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit (BMUB)

Time frame:
2013 - 2016 / completed

Co-operation Partner:

Wissenschaftlicher Beirat für Globale Umweltveränderungen (WBGU)

Project description

Rapid urbanisation is one of the megatrends that are shaping our future. More than two-thirds of the world’s population will reside in cities by 2050. In that context, two challenges deserve particular attention: the reduction of poverty and the transformation towards sustainability. Since there is no universally valid solution for diverse types of cities, both challenges will have to be addressed in different ways in the various city types that currently exist.