Overview
The world we live in is fast changing. As the world population continues to grow, unprecedented numbers of people are living in cities. The United Nations (UN) estimates that by the end of 2008, for the first time in human history, there will be as many people residing in urban areas as are living in the countryside.
According to UN data, this urbanising trend is on the rise, as some 60% of the world population is forecast to be living in cities by 2030. Moreover, the majority of those people will be located in developing countries, notably in Africa and Asia, while growing numbers are also expected to be residing in so‐called megacities, defined by the UN as urban agglomerations with more than 10 million people.
How megacities are being – or could be – governed can effectively help to understand how to attain sustainable cities in a changing world. This is the premise underpinning LEAD’s 2008 International Session, to be held in and around Mexico City between 16‐22 November 2008. This event aims to spearhead a debate on what part leadership can play in addressing the direct and indirect problems produced by climate change in megacities.
Placing the debate in the context of the world’s third‐largest megacity, Mexico City, the International Session will focus on exploring the opportunities and challenges presented by the following key issues: water and sanitation, energy production and consumption, land use and urban development, transport and urban mobility. Through presentations, interactive panel discussions, dialogues and site visits, participants of the International Session will get the opportunity to better understand these four core issues, placing them in a local dimension, while also considering the broader picture, of how they impact at a global level and interact with cross‐cutting themes, like governance.
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