by Sahara Stirling

Created on: June 25, 2008   Last Updated: June 26, 2008

The current top-tier "global" cities - New York, London, and Tokyo - are so ranked because of their intense concentrations of international finance, exports, and intergovernmental organizations, among other factors. As world leaders and the global community at large focus their efforts on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning regionsincluding citiesto more sustainable functions, "global" cities will no longer be ranked according to their financial sectors' success, populations, or air traffic, among other things, but according to their commitments to sustainability. What would a framework for ranking cities based on sustainability look like and what indicators might it emphasize?

Let's examine three indicators a future framework for measuring urban sustainability would likely include: public transportation, high-density mixed-use neighborhoods, and public green space. This is by no means intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a small example. These three urban planning elements are closely linked to New Urbanism, which in turn is aligned with urban sustainability.

Currently, just over half the world's population lives in urban areas. If the world's urbanization trend since the Industrial Revolution is any indicator, urban living will only increase. Meanwhile, global concern for the environment and sustainable living is also increasing, currently spurred by climate change debates and international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol. Looking briefly at climate change, it is generally accepted that anthropogenic contributions have steadily increased since the Industrial Revolution, led by emissions-intensive manufacturing cities such as Manchester, England. But if urbanization is one of the causes of climate change, which in turn has brought intense debate about the sustainability of 21st century urban life, can urban areas be catalysts for change?

Urban theorists such as Saskia Sassen rank cities by their functions in the global community, especially those functions relating to economic power. True sustainability cannot be achieved through only the economy, which is one of its three pillars, but must include environmental and social considerations, ideally in an equal balance. The "global cities" of the future will thus be those with strong sustainability policies and high achievements under all three pillars. Urban theorist Stephen Wheeler, who places great emphasis on holistic approaches to urban planning - for example, developing transportation

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