Article
Version 1
This version is not peer-reviewed
UN-sustainable Urbanism: The Challenge of “Lock-In”
Version 1
: Received: 22 July 2024 / Approved: 23 July 2024 / Online: 24 July 2024 (12:30:01 CEST)
How to cite: Mehaffy, M. W. UN-sustainable Urbanism: The Challenge of “Lock-In”. Preprints 2024, 2024071909. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1909.v1 Mehaffy, M. W. UN-sustainable Urbanism: The Challenge of “Lock-In”. Preprints 2024, 2024071909. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.1909.v1
Abstract
The term "sustainable urbanism" has been criticized over its inconsistent and imprecise definition, leading to challenges in implementing actionable reforms and achieving urban sustainability goals. A clearer approach may be to identify its opposite: specifically, forms of urbanism that cause an unacceptable buildup of toxic or climate-altering emissions, deplete resources beyond sustainable levels, progressively destroy critical ecologies, and cause other identifiable sources of potentially catastrophic harm to human and urban welfare. Here we present a model of such an “unsustainable urbanism,” and we observe further that it is in fact the dominant model of urban structure to this day. Its features include an over-reliance on low-occupancy vehicular transport; inefficient envelope, size, orientation and adaptability of buildings; ecologically destructive infrastructure systems for handling water, energy and other resources; and – under-appreciated but fundamentally important, as we will explore – decline of a well-connected, walkable, functionally and aesthetically appealing public realm. This model remains dominant in spite of the many goals, agenda and declarations on sustainable urbanism at the highest policy level. We observe that the lack of progress is in large part the result of system “lock-in” – economic and professional incentives and disincentives, standards, laws, codes, and other forms of feedback that reinforce “business as usual,” and create barriers to reform. Therefore, the agenda ahead must address the specific levers of change to overcome this systemic lock-in, drawing insights from economics, technology and the social sciences to do so. We present the outlines of this agenda, and make conclusions for needed steps ahead.
Keywords
Sustainable urbanism; unsustainable urbanism; lock-in; New Urban Agenda
Subject
Social Sciences, Geography, Planning and Development
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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