A country resident visits a friend’s apartment in a downtown metropolitan city. Part of their conversation sitting on the balcony of the apartment proceeds as follows:

Visitor: What’s that strange green colour in the sky? I didn’t think you could see the northern lights in the city…

Host *grimacing*: You can’t, that’s smog.

Visitor *wrinkles nose*: I see. Anyway, this sandwich tastes a bit strange, where did the meat come from?

Host *laughing nervously*: I don’t know, I bought it at the discount grocers…there was a great sale!

Visitor *somewhat disgusted*: Why don’t we ask your neighbours if they have anything we can use to make a different lunch?

Host *dumbfounded*: I can’t ask them that, I don’t even know them.

Visitor *equally dumbfounded*: You’ve been here for five years!!

Does any part of this sound familiar? Many of us readily and unhappily acknowledge the downsides of city living: pollution, traffic, crowds, isolation in pursuit of self-interest…and yet somehow, millions of people around the world continue to survive in these functional (dysfunctional?) creations of mankind. Whether this is by choice, or by feelings of no existing alternative, the darker side of cities often casts a long shadow.

So why don’t more people abandon these increasingly appalling circumstances and move to less urbanized areas? Of course, not everyone despises city life. Even if they did, reality would likely not permit a scenario in which everyone could opt for more remote living. If we want to sustain the amount of people on this planet, as well as maintain a continual influx of ideas and progress, particular conditions are required. According to physicist Geoffrey West, cities are an unavoidable product of an evolving human population. He and a team of researches have gathered evidence showing that if we want to continue to both exist and improve our quality of living, cities are a necessary instrument to support such evolution.

So while life in the city might be a far cry from a clear water, clean air, harmonious coexistence paradise, it may very well be inescapable.

If this is true, why raise such a point?

For those of us who are eco-minded to at least some extent, the quality of city life and its damage to the world are a source of major concern. Many believe we would be better off without them, adopting instead a way of life focused on smaller, more communal living, and returning to simpler ways of being.

If, however, there is as much merit to West’s theories as there seems to be, then it appears we may need to adjust our perspective, shifting to an acceptance that cities are here to stay. So if cities are what we have to work with, then rather than resisting them, let’s work with them. What are needed are some inspired solutions and actions to transform our cities into more sustainable, healthy and desirable places to live. Humans are remarkably creative and innovative when we want to, or need to be.

Actions such as increased use of solar energy, energy efficient vehicles and public transit, and retrofitting of existing buildings to make them more energy efficient are excellent beginnings. However, more drastic changes are required if we are to make any impact on the current state of affairs. In this reality, corporate giants hold the reigns and drive a world based on exhaustible resources, pushing cheap and toxic products, and holding a sole focus on an expanding economy rather than life itself. Strides are only made when people begin to turn their awareness of such situations into tangible actions.

Our species is exceptionally destructive, but we also possess an equally enormous amount of positive creative potential. Take a few moments to play a significant role at this crucial point in time, so we can ensure that we harness and utilize this creative potential, and make our next step in evolution a rewarding one.