Taking the lead
In the next decade a host of factors, from climate change to health and energy conservation, will reshape the urban landscape – changing the way we work, travel, enjoy leisure activities, and approach town planning.
The new urban landscape will need to build on the old while recognizing and incorporating the new. Greener energy and distributed energy production, greener consumption, distributed work and telecommuting, dense development and a cut in road travel will be the hallmarks of this new geography.
These trends challenge local government to review its current planning codes and experiment with new ideas that will allow mixed and flexible use of its assets and structures, respond quickly to changing needs, and try out new approaches to energy production, transportation and service delivery.
The challenges are great. However our hope lies in a sector that encourages and supports active citizenship, us to engage across our differences, and helps us to build communities and bridge cultures, Please share your experiences and views, and let us take active ownership of these and other challenges we face.