JOEL KOTKIN, is a distinguished fellow at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., and author of "The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050"
Idea: Beware the megacity
Mr. Kotkin writes: Perhaps a good place to start is redefining the most overused word of our times: sustainability. Perhaps the world would be a better place if equal emphasis were put on other things that sustain us – like social well-being and economic health.
These things have to be considered as equal priorities. If not, the sustainability movement becomes little more than a path to poverty – something unacceptable in "rich" nations and even more so among the developing ones.
When we look to curb greenhouse gases, perhaps we should find ways that also increase productivity and social well-being. For example, instead of pushing to make communities denser to make them sustainable, perhaps we may look for ways to make lower densities less energy wasting – for example, through the use of telecommuting and dispersion of work.
In many places, particularly in the developing world, lower-density development can be paired with local agriculture and artisanal industries. Bringing ever more people into megacities can be harmful in terms of human health and social development, and can even cause local warming, what is known as the "heat island effect." There has to be a way to commingle social preferences, economic performance, and long-term environmental goals. The world would be better off if we found it.
