Edx Cities and the Challenge of Sustainable development Part 5

Overcoming social divide is essential in sustainable development. Well-planned infrastructure  and layout can avoid social divide. It realizes shared economy, which gives mobility to everyone and allow everyone to use public and private services. People can rent places to live in without much money, so that communities will be more diverse. Sustainable transportation system will get rid of automobiles and revitalize urban communities. Cities, with universities, are where innovation happen. In two decades, not only already developed areas but also Africa, south Asia, Latin America, and other parts of the world will also have hubs for innovation. Cities are where cutting-edge businesses tie up with universities conducting advanced researches. Cities will nurture higher education and businesses, which will create jobs and tackle climate change. This will make it possible for humans to attain SDGs.

• How can cities, as mixed-use environments, continue to foster the growth of universities and similar centers of learning and innovation? Why are these knowledge centers found most often in urban settings? What does this mean for the development of sustainable cities? - New ideas and products developed in cities, especially at universities, are used to improve the lives of those not only in cities but also in the countryside. With strong infrastructure and abundant resources, cities also provide stable environment for researches. Thus necessity to cope with the common challenge of the mankind will naturally make cities foster the growth of universities and other institutions.
  
  
• How can the internet and the network of e-Everything connect these centers of innovation to create more sustainable solutions across larger physical and social distances? How can this collaboration help to achieve the goals of social inclusion, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability? -The internet and the network of e-Everything streamline, and save, the use of energy and other resources and make shared economy possible. Electric cars and MaaS (Mobility as a Service) will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and allow people  start commuting to or living near their work places with little or no capital. The Internet and e-Everything will also provide more opportunities for those who are disadvantaged by allowing them more access to public services. In education, wiping out digital divide means giving equal opportunities to all children. These more sustainable and more inclusive societies will make more people happier and this will lead to economic development and higher environmental sustainability.