Integrating the Environment in Urban Planning and Management

Book excerpt: This publication is intended to encourage and support urban decision-makers as it recognizes that action taken in towns and cities is essential for addressing global environmental problems, and with an increasing proportion of the world's population living in urban areas in low- and middle-income countries, these are important sites for engaging with the environment. Recognizing the increasing role of cities, it builds on the 2007 report, Liveable Cities: the benefits of urban environmental planning. Since the launch of the Liveable Cities report in 2007, cities have become increasingly prominent in terms of addressing global environmental issues. Much of this has been around climate change, with the expansion of initiatives such as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, the launch of the Carbon Cities Climate Registry in 2010, and the initiation of the Durban Adaptation Charter in 2011.