Abstract
The explosive growth of cities since the beginning of twentieth century is leading to concerns about their sustainability and way of life, and their impact on the sustainability of our global resources and the environment. We still have an incomplete understanding of the rapidly evolving urban cycle of interactions and the consequences of a set of emerging critical demographic, socioeconomic, and biological challenges. Will today's cities be sustainable in the long run? What are the long-term global implications of urbanization? Will the world be capable of accomplishing the huge paradigm shift s necessary to achieve globally urban sustainability? Answers to questions such as these will determine the future trajectory of human settlements and, ultimately, of our species. Comprehensive paradigms of urban dynamics and a new, interdisciplinary vision of engineering are urgently needed.
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