Sustainability and urbanism

Introduction

Are cities and urban development really sustainable?

According to the World Health Organisation “…as of 2010, more than half of all people live in an urban area. By 2030, 6 out of every 10 people will live in a city, and by 2050, this proportion will increase to 7 out of 10 people.”
It is inevitable that cities will grow, and will keep on growing.

Maldives, my country, is undergoing many changes too; economically, environmentally and socially. Many things that I took for granted as a youngster no longer hold true. Many things that I could not even imagine as a child are readily available today. The small islands with their simple village type of life are being transformed into urban cities. Massive shifting of the population is happening, mostly on a very unbalanced scale. Some few islands are progressing while most of the other islands are left undeveloped.

I have been working in the construction industry for a long time now, and have been able to see many of these changes first hand. Some are beneficial and for the progress of the nation, while many are not, and quite detrimental to our culture and the environment.

I started this blog in response to an assignment I was following in my Master of Architecture. However, I would like this to be more than just a response to an assignment, and carry on using this blog here as well. The issues that I write here are real, and quite a number of them still unresolved. Some are based on my personal experiences, while others are based on what I have read or come across from other media. It is quite possible that the reader may find some of the actions mentioned as harsh or environmentally unsound.

Please do not judge us too harshly for some of our actions. However, constructive criticism are welcome and appreciated, which will surely be of benefit to us.