WORLD ENGINEERS SUMMIT

Resilient Cities and Lifestyles: Circular Resource Use

No sustainable development if not at city level; this increasingly accepted statement requires however enabling conditions. As the functioning and well-being of the world's cities relies on significant supplies of natural resources, increasing resource inefficiencies, scarcity and degradation threaten to constrain the future growth and sustainable development of cities. Cities will need to actively and efficiently manage their resources if they are to ensure dynamic economies, have healthy population and sustainable lifestyles and remain competitive. Cities should become the dynamic hubs toward an integrated approach to environmental, social and economic sustainability, in particular by driving local and national development while increasing efficiency and reducing impact on environment. With expected exponential demand for consumption products and construction material to respond to the needs of a growing urbanized population, cities will have to reduce the "import" of resources and limit the "export" of emissions, while mainstreaming circular economy, hence increasing resilience to climate change and resource dependency.