Cities as Places to Live

The brief Cities as places to live, produced by the International Growth Centre, discusses the potential of cities to provide resilience to the impacts of climate change through the provision of public goods and services. The brief also addresses the importance of avoiding long-term lock-in to emission-intensive infrastructure and urban design.

Climate change can no longer be ignored. Estimates suggest that inaction could cost the global economy between 5 and 20 per cent of GDP each year, depending on the severity of climate change damages. Resource- and carbon-efficient development, alongside adaptation mechanisms, is the only sustainable long-term option. Sustainability is about ensuring that future generations have opportunities in terms of well-being that are at least as good as those available to the current generation.

Getting cities right (or wrong) has long-term, locked-in consequences. This is particularly important for lower-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia which are relatively more exposed to the effects of climate change. Developing countries that get the city-development model right have better prospects of delivering sustainable growth and improving urban resilience to climate shocks.

Climate change action — with a strategic focus on resilient, well-functioning cities — can yield strong adaptation benefits, lower per capita greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and higher growth. Focusing public policy on urban livelihoods provides economic and environmental benefits, offering cities a chance to deliver on their sustainable urbanisation potential.