Current cities are growing unsustainably into megacities, straining resources and destroying the environment. By 2050, 66% of the world's population will live in urban areas, with the largest growth in India, China, and Nigeria. Cities cannot produce enough clean energy, food, water, or handle the waste they generate without exploiting surrounding lands for hundreds of kilometers. The document proposes developing self-sustaining townships of 5,000-50,000 people that can produce their own clean energy, food, treat waste, and have sustainable housing and transportation to provide for residents' needs locally while protecting the environment. The author's experience living in large cities and sustainable communities motivates supporting sustainable urban planning approaches.

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L. HOW DO YOU ENVISION THE
City of the Future?
FROM SUPER-SCALING MEGA CITIES
…TO REDISCOVERING SELF-SUSTAINING TOWNSHIPS

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Are our cities growing like cancer?
The growth of modern cities is strikingly similar to the growth of cancer
which is an uncontrolled, exponential growth destroying the healthy
surroundings and eventually causes its host (environment) to waste away.
From “Humans as Cancer” by A. Kent MacDougall
Today 54 % of the world’s population live in urban areas, a proportion that is
expected to increase to 66 % by 2050 according to the United Nations
Report 2014 “World Urbanization Prospects”.

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Current Scenario:
Cities are growing to Megacities
Growing Population
Energy Demand
Food Consumption
Waste Generation & Pollution
Traffic
Destruction of Environment
Loss of Identity
The largest urban growth will take place in India, China and Nigeria.
Source: United Nations Report 2014 “World Urbanization Prospects”

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Cities…
…cannot produce adequate clean energy to meet their
ENERGY REQUIREMENT
…cannot produce enough crops to meet their
FOOD REQUIREMENT
…cannot produce and harvest enough fresh water to meet their
WATER REQUIREMENT
…cannot treat/recycle the generated waste to prevent
LANDFILL SITES AND SOIL CONTAMINATION
Which results in destructive exploitation of the surrounding areas for
hundreds of kilometers.
Big corporations split their organization in separate and independent
business units to effectively organize processes.
Now, it is time to re-organize urbanization…

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Back to the Roots
To be self-sustaining, a settlement needs to provide:
 Energy generation from renewable sources on site
 Fully supporting agriculture and food processing on site
 Recycling of waste & waste to energy on site
 Adequate and sustainable housing
 Local businesses & employment
 Education & healthcare facilities
 Effective transportation
Every town could provide these facilities to their inhabitants 100 years ago!
Let us re-discover sustainability…

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Solution:
Self-Sustaining Townships
+5.000 to 50.000 inhabitants
+Clean energy generation on site
+On site food production
+Effective waste recycling
+Protection of environment
+Short ways for transportation
+Quality of living
+Sustainable buildings
+Efficiency in using natural
resources
Only if we are directly involved in the system a change will happen.

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Turning ordinary towns to
self-sustaining townships
 Concept for renewable energy generation on site
(will strengthen the local economy of the town and provide employment)
 Concept for sustainable agriculture & food processing
(will strengthen local economy, reduce transportation and overheads and provide
employment)
 Concept for organic waste biogas plant
(will reduce requirement of renewable energy)
 Concept for sustainable housing and renovation
(will reduce energy demands)
 Concept for social interaction of all generations

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My Motivation
I grew up in a small village in Austria with a few hundred inhabitants where the local farmers were the central
point for food supply. Looking back to those times it feels like being born in mother natures lap.
From a very young age I was attracted to the concept of self-sustaining houses, villages and cities. During my
years at university I studied eco-villages world wide, and decided to do my internship in the worlds biggest
eco-village “Auroville” in South India. Fueled from this experience I outlined a strategy in my thesis, of how to
reduce the energy demand of a nation through sustainable planning.
After working professionally with project design and construction to achieve LEED certification (Green
Buildings), I have started an India-wide campaign with the “Zero Energy Space” a mobile Zero Energy House
which provides all necessary energy through a solar system on the rooftop. For this project I received 2
awards and a wide coverage in Indian and Austrian media.
Drawing from the experience of living in the worlds biggest cities of New Delhi (Number 2 worldwide) and
Mumbai as well as some of the most sustainable places like Auroville and small villages in Austria my aim is
to support a holistic approach towards a more energy efficient and sustainable way of living…