City Self-Sufficiency
Do we start to see cities becoming more independent from the national states?
Dr. Tuomo Kuosa, Content Director at Futures Platform
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Self-reliant cities could potentially produce up to 30% of the energy, food, water and good it consumes.
CAN CITIES PROVIDE FOR ITSELF AND BECOME LESS DEPENDENT ON THE STATES?
“The appearance of largely self-sufficient cities may take place in the coming decades.
The Brexit debate in the UK showed the vast chasm in the mindsets and values between London and the countryside. Similar gaps have been reported in other countries as well.
As large cities are mainly responsible for the economic growth of most countries, they possess the financial sustainability needed for self-reliance. However, currently, they need to import almost all of their foodstuffs, energy and other goods from outside their urban areas.
The current pandemic has shown that global supply chains are highly vulnerable to disruption. This may lead to repatriating at least the most critical chains to increase the security of supply and resilience.
Given the current technological developments, it is not unfathomable that cities may start to produce a large part of their food, goods and energy within the city limits. This could especially take place if globalisation as a whole begins to crumble. Self-reliant major metropolises could emerge as a result. This could have both political and economic implications for the rest of the country.”
Dr Tuomo Kuosa
Content Director
Futures Platform
Discover what’s next for cities and assess the long-term global implications of the changing urban ecosystem with Urban Living & Construction 2040 research report made by leading futurists.
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