Ideas for cities

This Big City is an award winning social media organisation sharing ideas for sustainable cities in English, Chinese, Spanish, French and Italian. Our Tumblr is all about short form ideas, and is curated by Editor in Chief Joe Peach.

Urbanization has lured more people to bustling metropolises, but precious little thought has been given to what happens when these cities fail. Over time, the underlying systems and processes of civilization - from lead mining to offshore drilling to car commuting - slowly poison us. Power grids brown out, the climate heats up, and industrial accidents ravage ecosystems and cities alike. For all the famed cities with thousands of years of continuity - Paris, London, Cairo, Athens, Rome, Istanbul - most cities just stop.

Ben Paynter considers the longevity of the city after visiting America’s most toxic town.

Cities are centres for the generation of knowledge and the exchange of wealth, for cultural growth and scientific achievement. While they offer many social and economic benefits, however, the cost they generate to our environment is often too great to ignore: urbanization is linked to resource depletion, increased waste and pollution, and the reduction of species.

Guy Battle, in The Endless City.