2022
Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft and others
The document discusses a handbook summarizing six debates held in 2021 and 2022 under the Urban Age Programme, focusing on how cities are adapting to significant global changes in the 2020s. Established in 2004, the programme investigates urban futures, coinciding with a pivotal shift where more people began living in cities than in rural areas. This transition presented various challenges and opportunities for urban planning and governance. The debates highlighted in the handbook delve into critical issues that cities face today, such as the evolving role of the financial sector, the pursuit of urban green growth, and the need for inclusive urban democracy. As cities grapple with the consequences of gentrification, populism, and climate change, the discussions provide insights into how urban leaders can navigate these complexities. The shifting dynamics of urban life necessitate innovative strategies to maintain livability and sustainability. Furthermore, the text emphasizes the need for a re-evaluation of established narratives surrounding urban development. As cities strive to balance economic growth with social equity and environmental sustainability, the insights from these debates serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners. The handbook aims to foster a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities that define contemporary urban living in a time of profound global change.
This handbook is summarizing six debates / conversations that took place in 2021/2022 within the program: URBAN AGE DEBATES CITIES IN THE 2020S: AN EXPLORATION OF HOW CITIES ARE RESPONDING TO PROFOUND GLOBAL CHANGE The Urban Age Programme was established as a worldwide investigation into the future of cities in 2004, not long before the headline-grabbing moment when the majority of the world’s population were urban rather than rural dwellers. At that time urban growth projections based on extrapolation of recent trends were reliable, the possibility of gradual carbon emission reduction to achieve a safe climate was still possible and urban democracy was a project motiv- ating decentralisation reforms and city leadership. Since then, many of the certainties that were directly connected with a global narrative about cities have been challenged: the role of the financial sector, urban green growth, a cosmopolitan insulation against populism, the trickle-down potential of super- star cities, gentrification without displacement, the purpose of consumer cities, and manageable levels of planetary extraction to support city building.