SUSTAINABLE MEGACITIES: HEALTH, RISKS, RESOURCES

The world is projected to have 43 megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants by 2030^[1]. They are centers of growth and magnets for migrants as they provide better infrastructure, supplies and access to education and healthcare. However, the management of disease, risk and resource poses challenging.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made many of the most pressing issues highly visible to the general public and even sparked questions of reverse urbanization trends: Will those who can afford it leave the cramped, heated megacities for less congested areas as climate change, multiple risks and urban health problems intensify? Will new urban strategies arise from changing urban lifestyles, consumption patterns and infrastructural connectivity that compromise the sustainability of our cities?

The time for making megacities more sustainable is running short; but where millions of people live together in diverse communities, creativity, solidarity, and innovation are likely bound to unfold. Let’s envision the premises of life in more sustainable megacities and examine which strategies have already succeeded and what tools we need to ensure they are truly sustainable.