Cities as Places to Live

The Policy 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 percent of GDP each year, depending on the severity of climate change damages. Resource- and carbon-efficient development and adaptation mechanisms are 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.

Abstract based directly on source.