This past Saturday was World Population Day, but I do not know anyone who was celebrating. It is a daunting subject for the many people aware of the problems regarding future population growth. At the end of the 20th century, the world population was passing 6 billion, and now it is estimated that by the end of the 21st century, the world population will reach 8-12 billion. This is certainly an issue that we must take seriously and prepare for. As our numbers increase, so does the concern and discussion about population growth.

However, what is often unacknowledged is the impact of population growth on our cities. Half of the world’s population currently resides in cities, and every week, across the globe, one million people migrate to cities. If this current trend continues, and there is no reason to believe that it will stop, by 2050 an estimated 6 billion people, or more than two-thirds of humanity, will reside in cities.

Growing population pressures will require us find new sustainable ways to develop cities. Edward Mazria, who was featured on the E2 Design, an informative series on PBS (narrated by Brad Pitt) about the economies of being environmentally conscious, has developed his own plan to work towards this sustainable cities goal. He calls it “Architecture 2030”. Below is the behind the scenes Podcast for his Architecture 2030 E2 Design episode. What do you think?